Is This Real
by What About Love
Summary: Sometimes the end is really just the beginning. Is it even real? Will/Karen
1. Chapter 1

Karen was sitting on her living room sofa, staring out the window. The air had begun to turn cold and the leaves were soon to fall. The colors of the trees were vibrant, even though her home was in the city and they were barely visible.

She finally sighed and finished off her martini. It was just another day in the seemingly perfect life of Karen Walker. Her life had never been perfect, but it had also never really been bad. She had been married too many times, in the eyes of society, but other than that she had a very good life. There were a few secrets in her past, many random one night stands, and her marriage was a wreck, but she had learned to live with it. She learned that drinking and taking prescription pills was the perfect way to feel perfect. It was, after all, what was expected of her.

Stan had left earlier that morning for a business trip in the Philippines. She wanted to go with him, but he had found another excuse for her to stay behind, once again. Every year they sponsored an Autumn Dance for all of their high society friends at Shelter Island and he needed her to stay and lead it. It was a ridiculous tradition that Karen hated. What was the point in having a dance just because the seasons changed? Isn't that what's supposed to happen?

She pushed her shoulder length hair away from her face and stood from her seat. She refilled her drink and walked upstairs to get dressed for her day. It was ten o'clock in the morning and she was already buzzed. She didn't have a problem with alcohol; she just loved who she was when she was intoxicated. She was sexual, outgoing, and completely tactless. When she was sober she tended to be shy and her sex appeal vanished. It was strange that two very different people could live within one body. She wasn't sure if she was crazy or just ungrateful, maybe a little bit of both.

She walked into Grace's office around eleven thirty. The interior designer was sitting with Will at her overcrowded desk in the center of the room. She braced herself and slapped on a fake smile before nonchalantly bursting through the door.

"Sorry I'm late, honey. Driver hit another pedestrian." She lied as she put her coat on the back of her chair and sat at her desk.

"Oh my gosh, is he okay?" Grace asked.

"Yeah, I guess." She replied with a shrug. That was just another part of her façade. She couldn't let people know that she had feelings. She wasn't weak by any means.

"Well, hey, I have to go to a meeting with this guy who wants to look at my book. Karen, could you answer the phone?"

"Sure, honey." She replied as she continued to file her nails. Will and Grace both began to make their way out the door. "Wilma, can I talk to you for a minute? It's about some legal stuff."

"Okay. I'll see you at home Gracie." He said, watching Grace walk into the elevator. "What is it this time Karen?"

"Its not so much lawyer stuff as it is friend stuff." She replied, not looking into his eyes. She was embarrassed and didn't want him to see.

"Oh." He pulled over a stool and sat next to her desk. They had only truly spoken as friends a few times so neither of them was sure of how to react.

"Stan left this morning for a business trip. He won't be back for a few months and we're supposed to sponsor some Autumn Dance on Shelter Island. I can't go alone, honey, and I was wondering if you would like to go with me." She said in a rush as if she weren't sure that she could ever get it out. After a moment of silence she finally looked up and met his eyes, a timid smile playing on her lips.

"Why do you want it to be me?"

"Because I know that I can trust you with my life." She replied. He was taken aback by the sincerity in her voice and knew that he couldn't say no. He and Karen had never gotten along very well, but he knew that when the cards were on the table they were friends.

"When is it?"

"We would leave on Friday morning and get home late on Sunday."

"I wouldn't miss it." he watched her face light up when he finally agreed to accompany her. He knew that she couldn't be seen as alone in front of her rich friends and he was more than happy to take the time to spend with her. Without paying much attention to his gesture, he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"Thanks honey. I appreciate it."

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Will was given a list of all of the things that he would need for his weekend with Karen. She wrote out every single change of clothes that he would need and what to bring, just in case he wasn't sure. He looked at the note once again when he returned home, admiring her handwriting. He had only ever seen her sign her name to documents and he took note that her handwriting was sloppier than he would have imagined. He just always assumed that it would be something else that was perfect about her.

Jack and Karen went shopping for clothes that she would be taking with her to Shelter Island. She always felt the need to look better than every other person at the party and the future gathering was no exception. That was why she took her Poodle shopping with her. He would know exactly what worked and what didn't.

"I like that one, Karebear. You could wear it for your spotlight dance." He said as she continued to examine the deep red dress that she had tried on. It hugged her in all of the right places and gave her an excessive amount of cleavage.

"Are you sure it doesn't make me look like a whore, honey?"

"No, you look really pretty. I just wish I was the one who got to see you in it." He replied as he turned his head away, feigning a hurt demeanor.

"Poodle, you know that I would love for you to come with me, but I need someone a little less…flamboyant. They aren't really too fond of gays."

"Will's gay. What makes you think they will accept him?"

"You can't tell he's gay when you first meet him. It takes a little while to come to that conclusion. I'm just trying to stay out of the line of gossip, honey."

"I understand." He said as he rolled his eyes. "Let's go and get lunch."

"Okay, honey. I'll go and change."


	2. Chapter 2

"Harder!" she screamed as he pounded into her body. She moaned his name in his ear as he met her request and gripped her hips with his hands. He felt her muscles tighten around him and the friction became too much to handle. They came in unison and he collapsed on top of her sweaty body. He kissed her lips deeply and looked into a beautiful pair of hazel eyes.

Will screamed as he shot up in his bed. He had been having the same type of dreams all week and it was confusing him to no extent. He never thought that he was attracted to Karen in that way; he never thought he was attracted to _women_ in that way, but those dreams were hot and intense. They felt so real.

"Will, are you okay?" Grace asked as she poked her head into his bedroom.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just having a dream."

"Aw was it a bad one?"

"Not exactly." He replied, replaying his dream in his mind. In fact, it was a really good dream.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, it's fine. Go and get some sleep. You have that big meeting in the morning."

"Okay. Goodnight." She said as she closed his door and made her way back to her bedroom.

He lay back down in his bed and took a deep breath. It was just a dream and dreams never mean anything, right? He could actually feel it though. He felt her arms around his neck and her legs pulling him deeper as she moaned into his ear. But it was Karen. They barely liked each other, especially in a sexual sense. What was he thinking?

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Karen had packed all of her things and Driver had loaded the suitcases into the trunk of the limo. It was Friday and she was on her way to pick Will up from his apartment. She knew that it was going to be awkward between them, but she also knew that he would be the best choice for her spotlight dance. He was charming, intelligent, and incredibly handsome and she knew that all of the women at the dance would be jealous. It was her goal to be seen as better than all of them.

"Are you ready to go, honey?" she asked as she opened the door of the apartment. Will was nowhere to be found. She made her way back to his bedroom and knocked on the door. When there was no response she opened it and stepped inside. "Will?" She walked over to his bathroom and heard the sink running. She assumed that he was finishing his morning preparations and decided to walk out and leave him to his tasks. She turned to leave when she spotted a picture frame next to his bed. She smiled when she saw that it was Grace, Will, Jack and her at one of Jack's birthday parties.

"Karen, what are you doing in here?" she heard from behind her. She turned around quickly only to come face to face with Will. She felt his breath on her lips and felt time suspend for a moment. She hurriedly backed away from him and smiled in an unusually shy manner.

"Sorry, honey. I just wanted to see if you were ready yet."

"Yeah, I am. I'll grab my stuff." He replied, also shaken by the closeness of their lips only moments before. He watched as she quickly left the room before he picked up his bags and followed her.

They had been on the road for almost two hours, talking and joking about anything to break the silence. It was strange to be alone with each other, but they were falling into a comforting atmosphere. It was after Karen's fourth martini that he felt her head softly hit his shoulder. He had never known her to pass out from only four drinks and decided that she had probably had more at the manse. It was amazing to him that she could drink so much before noon and it made him wonder what she was trying so hard to get away from.

He decided that she didn't need to drink for the rest of their ride to the island. He reached into the mini bar in the limo and began taking out all of the little bottles of liquor. He then rolled down the window and threw them out into a vacant lot. He heard the bottles breaking against each other before the light turned green and the limo began to move again.

After another half an hour Karen began to stir. She quickly sat up when she realized that she had fallen asleep on Will's shoulder. She was embarrassed that he had seen her that way and there was nothing that she could do to change the fact. He didn't say a word and she reached to the mini bar to make another drink, an attempt to clear away the previous situation. When she opened the little door she almost screamed. All of her liquor was gone.

"What the hell have you done?" she accused as her head snapped around to face him.

"I just thought that maybe you've had enough for today."

"Since when is that your decision, Will?"

"I just figured I'd help you out. You don't need to drink so much." He replied, raising his voice to reach her tone.

"I don't remember it being any of your concern! You don't fucking own me!"

"You passed out on my arm! If we're going to spend the weekend together then you can't keep doing that! I don't want to feel responsible if you don't wake up!"

"Leave me alone." She replied in an oddly soft tone of voice. She moved over to the seat across from him and dug through her purse for her flask. It was nowhere to be found so she angrily spread her legs and lifted her skirt. Will watched in utter fascination as she pulled a small flask from the inside of her lace control tops. He caught a glimpse of her deep red panties and felt heat rise to his face before she crossed her legs and took a long drink.

"I don't want to fight with you this whole time, Karen."

"Then mind your own business, honey." She said as she screwed the top back on her flask and shoved it in her purse. She took her shoes off and turned sideways as she pulled her feet up to rest on the seat. Will could feel his eyes traveling up from her pedicure to the slit in her skirt, taking in the curvature of each of her muscles. "Honey, do you keep checking me out?" she asked, out of nowhere. He panicked. How could she tell?

"Yes." He admitted before he could stop himself.

"Stop it." She replied before she turned to lay her head against the back of the seat and attempted to go back to sleep.

Will was confused, not only by his own thoughts, but by the way she was acting. He knew that she would be upset with him for disposing of her alcohol, but he didn't expect her to just give up the argument the way that she did. She wasn't acting like her usual self and it alarmed him. However, he decided to let her think for a while before he tried to speak to her again. He mirrored her by placing his feet in his seat and watched the other cars pass them by.

Karen, on the other hand, was swimming in her thoughts. She was worried about her weekend with Will. She wasn't prepared to be part of any bad gossip and she certainly would rather deal with something more pleasant. If she were to go alone then people would pretend to pity her. But she also knew that if she showed up with a man who wasn't her husband then there would be plenty of talk. She took a deep breath and sighed. She would be fine after her double vodka.


	3. Chapter 3

He had her up against the wall in his hotel room. Her lips tasted sweet against his as he pushed his tongue into her mouth. She squeezed her legs tighter around his waist as he sped up the pace of his thrusts and ran his hands down the sides of her body. It was so beautiful to hear her heavy breathing echoing through the large room and her breath tickling his ear. He looked into her beautifully weakened hazel eyes before her orgasm overtook her body.

"Will, wake up." Karen said as she placed her hand on his shoulder. She shook him gently before she leaned closer and spoke loudly in his face. "Will!"

He awoke with a startle to find her eyes staring into his. He had had that dream before, the one where she woke him up from a sex dream about her. He knew what always happened next. He leaned forward and hungrily kissed her soft red lips. It was when she squealed in surprise that he realized that it wasn't a dream. He pushed her away from him, her eyes wide, and stammered for words.

"Honey, what the hell was that?" she asked as she attempted to calm her breathing. She was completely shocked by his actions and needed an explanation quickly.

"Oh my God, Karen, I am so sorry." He apologized. She shook her head and hardened her gaze.

"I'm going to need a little more than an apology, honey."

"I honestly don't know why I did that. I'm really, really sorry." He panicked. He couldn't believe what he had done. It wasn't like him to not be able to tell the difference between a dream and reality.

"Okay, then." She replied as she composed herself and her heart rate began returning to normal. She licked her recently invaded lips and grabbed her purse. "I just wanted to tell you that Driver loaded our bags onto the boat. We have to get out." She opened the door and let herself out of the car, a quick exit from the scene that had recently occurred. Will mentally kicked himself repeatedly before following her lead.

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The boat reached the dock about twenty minutes later and Will and Karen walked towards their rooms as their bags were loaded onto a cart. Karen stayed ahead of Will, slightly fearing their next conversation. They had managed to make the first few hours of their trip incredibly awkward and had to suffer the consequences.

"Here's your room, honey." Karen said as she motioned to a wooden door with the number 475 attached to it in gold lettering. "I'm in 480 if you need anything." She began walking away, but Will grabbed her hand and pulled her back over to face him.

"I'm sorry." He said as he looked into her eyes. She returned the gaze; her brow furrowed the way it usually was when she was thinking. Finally she came to a decision and softly smiled before squeezing his hand and swinging it back and forth.

"Its okay, honey." She said. "You just surprised me a little."

"I really didn't mean to. I don't want to ruin whatever friendship we have."

"Will, its fine. It was only a little kiss. I was just being uptight." She patted the hand that she was holding and smiled again. "I'll come and get you before dinner, okay?"

"Okay." He replied as she let go of his hand and retreated down then hallway to her room. He caught himself watching the movement of her hips as she walked. She put her cardkey in her door and turned the handle. He was thankful that she didn't look back to him before she entered the room. He just couldn't help himself.

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Karen was very confused. She was nervous about the party in the first place, but she had a situation with Will to be nervous about as well. She was a married woman and she couldn't start thinking about one of her friends in the way that she was.

Yes, Karen Walker's world was rocked by the slight infraction in her limo. When Will's lips touched hers, of course she was shocked, but it felt so wonderful. And for that half of a second that they stayed connected she felt warmth envelope her. It was unlike anything that she had ever felt before, even with her husband, and it scared her. So what if Will was gay, she didn't want have any feelings for anyone, but her husband.

She walked down that hall to Will's room and knocked on the door. He opened it within a moment and smiled to her. She warmly greeted him and allowed him to take her hand in his as they walked to the dining area. They made light conversation all the way to the table and all throughout dinner. So that was it then; they were going to act like nothing at all had happened. They both made a silent agreement. Besides, it was just a little kiss wasn't it?


	4. Chapter 4

"So how did you meet Stan?" Will asked Karen as they sat on a deck. It was a cool clear evening and they were drinking glasses of straight gin. Karen ordered for them.

"I was working at a dinner theatre and he and his wife were celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary." She laughed a little bit at the reminiscence of her past.

"Were you a waitress or something?" Will asked incredulously. She smiled.

"No, honey, I was an actress in the musical that they were seeing."

"You were an actress? Did you sing too?"

"Yeah, I did. But I think it was the autograph signing that really got his attention. He and Kathy were backstage with the rest of the audience when I walked out of my dressing room and tripped over a prop on the ground. My costume fell open and I think he and his wife were the only ones who saw. He said, 'Wow that was quite a show.'" She laughed genuinely. "I had forgotten all about that."

Will watched as she recalled her past. She had always been such a mystery to him because she never talked about her life at all. She only gave her friends a glimpse of who she was. It was there, on the deck with her, that he realized that they had simply never asked. They all had continued to let her remain a mystery and it made him feel guilty for never taking the opportunity to really talk to her.

"Karen, how do you fit in with these people?"

"Why are you asking me so many questions, honey?" she asked as she lazily turned her face towards him.

"I'm just trying to get to know you a little better. I mean, we've known each other for two years and this is the first thing that you've ever told me about your life."

"Oh." She replied, noticing for the first time that his statement was true. "Well, I guess that if you marry money then you are money. They never actually accept you. All they have to do is put up with you until they can use you as the center of their relentless gossip."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's not your problem." They let silence fill the air around them before she asked her own question. "Honey, do you even like me?"

"What? Of course I do. Why would you even ask that?" _Of course I like you, more than you'll ever know._

"Well with the way you're constantly walking round and making fun of me, trying to hurt my feelings, I just thought that maybe…" she replied, letting her words taper off.

"You are such a complicated person, Karen. I have trouble understanding you so I guess, unconsciously, I'm angry because I can't get inside your head. I don't understand you at all."

"Are you a complicated person, Will?" she asked, feeling sleepy from staying in one place too long. When he didn't answer her question she turned to face him.

"I don't know. Maybe we all are, in our own way."

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His hands were like fire, burning her skin everywhere that he touched. They kissed, tongues battling, as an orgasm overtook her body. She sighed loudly as he kissed all the way down to her collarbone and back up to her ear. He began to whisper sweet nothings as his climax struck him and he filled her.

Karen's eyes sprang open and she gasped, her breathing was ragged and her flesh sweaty. She had finally snapped; she was going crazy. How could she be dreaming about him? It was an insane thing that was happening to her, but she was exceedingly turned on by it. She found it strange that a gay man could open up all of her emotions the way he was.

She sat up in her bed and calmed herself. She could still feel the heat of his hands on her body and his weight in between her legs. She shook her head and jumped from her bed, pacing the room. She needed help. She hurriedly walked into the bathroom for a cool shower.

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"Karen, are you in there?" Will asked as he knocked on the door. He received no reply and placed his ear to the door to see if he could hear any movement. He heard the shower running and began fishing through his wallet for her keycard. She had given him her extra card the night before, just in case he wanted to talk or anything.

He walked into the room and made his way over to sit in an armchair next to the bed. He was opening a book from off of the bedside table when he heard singing coming from the shower. He smiled, knowing that if she knew that he was listening then she wouldn't have been singing at all. He walked closer to the door and leaned against the wall, enjoying the sound of her voice as she sang a song that he had never heard.

He was so enthralled by her voice that he barely noticed when the shower stopped running. When reality hit him he quickly left the room to sit on the couch in her living room area. There was no way that he was going to make their friendship awkward again.

"Hello Wilma. What are you doing in here?" she asked when she finally came out of her bedroom. He stood to greet her and smiled.

"I was just coming to see if you wanted to go for a walk. Its really warm outside and I don't know anybody here."

"Sure I'll take a walk with you." She replied as she went over to get her coat. "Where are we going, honey?"

"I don't know. I was kind of hoping you'd have an idea." They left her room and made their way to the main doors of the building. The sun was warm on their faces as they chose an empty footpath.

They talked for an hour before finally deciding that it was time to head back to the hotel for lunch. When they looked behind them, the hotel was nowhere in sight. They argued like an old married couple before finally finding the path that they came from.

"I can't believe that you don't even know your way around here?" Will chastised when they were coming closer to the hotel.

"Do you think I actually walk, Wilma? How the hell was I supposed to know?" she replied as they entered the building and hurried to their rooms to change for lunch.


	5. Chapter 5

"Karen, love, I knew you were here. I heard a nasty high pitched voice coming from the dining room and I knew that it had to be you." An extremely tall and skinny woman greeted Karen about half way through lunch. Will mused to himself that she reminded him of a giraffe.

"Why, Meredith, what are you doing in here?" she asked as she stood to return a greeting. "I noticed that the leaves were eaten off the tops of the trees. Honey, you can't still be hungry."

"By the looks of it, you've eaten enough for the both of us. Am I right?"

"Oh, honey, I have so much money." She replied with a smile as she sat back down at the table with Will.

"Karen, you are so rude. You didn't even introduce me to your guest."

"I'm Will." He said as he stood briefly to shake her hand.

"Oh I see. Well it's very nice to meet you. And Karen, it's always a pleasure to get away from you." Meredith said before she walked away.

"How do you stand having people talk to you like that? That's the way that all of these women have talked to you today." Will said when the woman was finally out of earshot.

"Honey, you can't let it get to you. That's just the way we talk to each other here."

He watched as she attempted to shake off all of the woman's comments about her. He assumed that nothing that was said at the island could ever be taken seriously and shrugged before picking up his fork and continuing to eat. Karen called over a waiter and asked him to take her plate from the table.

"You barely ate anything."

"Honey, when a socialite says you're fat, then you're fat." She replied as she stood from her seat and grabbed her purse. "I'll be right back." She walked over to the bathroom to reapply her makeup.

Karen was getting ready to come out of a bathroom stall when she heard her name mentioned by two women. She stopped to listen. She wanted to know for sure if she would be part of any sort of gossip.

"Why would you even bring that vicious woman into our conversation, Meredith?"

"Because, Kendra, she brought her lover with her to a dance that her husband sponsors." The other woman gasped.

"She didn't. How do you know they're lovers?"

"You've met her. I scarcely doubt that she could ever keep her legs closed with a man who looks like that around."

"I don't know how her husband can stand her, honey." Karen said as she stepped out of the stall and began washing her hands. "I mean, the constant love and affection she gives him, the way she agreed to come to this dance without him, even though every woman here is a snide bitch. He could do so much better." She continued to speak as the women stood in shock. She began to walk out of the room, but turned around to give some last words. "Oh Kendra, honey, are you still sleeping with Meredith's husband? I forget, did she ever end up finding out?" The women's eyes grew wide as Karen smiled to them and walked out the door.

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"Karen, you just missed the biggest blowout fight that I have ever seen between two women." Will said, excitedly, as he ran outside onto the deck. He sat in the lounge chair next to her. It had taken all the way until after dinner for the women to confront one another, unfortunately in front of everyone.

"Between who, honey? What happened?" She asked, intrigued.

"It was that Meredith woman and someone else yelling at each other. The little one was sleeping with the big one's husband and they had a huge slap fight. It was crazy. What are you laughing at?"

"Payback is hell isn't it?" she asked, still smiling.

"Did you…"

"I had to do something, honey. They were gossiping about me." She defended. Will sat back in the chair and continued to look at her.

"I thought that you didn't let it get to you."

"Honey, that's just an expression. You know like, I love you or I wish you were here." She replied. He thought back to what had been said at lunch and sighed.

"You know you're not fat, right?"

"Oh, honey, it isn't about that. They said that I was cheating on Stan." She said as she sat up and looked over at him. "They thought that you were my lover."

"Wow."

"Yeah, I know." She replied as she pushed some of her fallen hair behind her ear. "Listen, I'm really tired so I'll talk to you in the morning." She stood and kissed his cheek before making her way up to her room.

Will sat alone on the small yet intimate deck. He knew that Karen's feelings were often hurt by the other socialites, but he was surprised that she actually had continuous thoughts about their words. He shrugged and finished off his drink. A waiter was at his side in a second to refill his glass.

After about an hour or so of thinking about Karen, his new favorite pastime, he fell asleep. The night was cold, but the amount of alcohol in his system formed a warming effect on his body. He dreamed, once again, of Karen.

----------

Karen tossed and turned in her large bed. She didn't want to fall asleep for fear that she would have another sex dream about Will. She was scared about what it would mean because of her growing attraction to him. She found herself nervous and out of sorts around him all day.

She stood from the bed and put on her glasses. She thought about reading, but decided against it before she grabbed her blanket, put on her slippers, and made her way back to the deck. It was a comforting place and she needed comfort. She was feeling lost.

When she finally made it to the deck she noticed that Will had fallen asleep in the chair that he was occupying earlier in the evening. She smiled and touched his shoulder, careful not to get too close to his face. She didn't want a repeat of what happened when she woke him up in the limo because she knew that she wouldn't be able to pull away if he did it again.

"Karen, what are you doing here?" He asked after he jolted awake. She sat down by his feet on the lounge chair and patted his leg. He noticed for the first time since he'd met her that she wore glasses.

"Honey its midnight and your asleep on a deck. Shouldn't I be asking you that question?"

"I don't know how I was sleeping. It is so cold out here." He commented. Karen, feeling the want to be close to him, scooted up the chair and pulled her blanket over their bodies. He put his arm around her and cuddled her closer to his side, placing his cheek against her hairline. She seemed to fit perfectly in his arms.

"Tell me about yourself." She said out of nowhere. Will shrugged, taken aback by her forwardness.

"What do you want to know?"

"Anything, honey. What was your first job, how old were you when you had your first kiss?"

"My first job was at a Mexican restaurant and I had my first kiss when I was fourteen." He replied. He didn't know what she was getting at and assumed that she was intoxicated.

"Do you care to elaborate a little?"

"Why are you asking so many questions? Are you drunk or something?"

"I had three glasses of champagne at dinner and that's all. Honey, I'm just trying to get to know you."

"Oh. I'm sorry." She waited for a moment before she asked him another question. It wasn't her intention to make him uncomfortable, but she wanted to show him that she cared. And she did care. She was increasingly curious about his feelings.

"Tell me what your biggest fear is."

"Dying without ever finding true love." he admitted. She hugged him tighter as some sort of comforting mechanism. He chuckled, nervously. "You know. I've never told anyone that before."

"I won't tell, honey."

"Thank you." He hugged her tighter as well. "Come on, ask me something else."

"What have you been thinking about the whole time we've been here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Honey, it's like you're in a constant daze."

"I've just been thinking about something that I can't make go away." He replied. She was interested in what was troubling him, mainly because she seemed to be dealing with the same type of problem. Maybe they could find a solution together.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, surprising both of them with her sincerity. He thought about it for a moment, but couldn't bring himself to tell her.

"No, I don't think so."

"Come on, honey. You told me your biggest fear." She coaxed.

"I've been having amazing sex dreams about a woman and they're freaking me out." He admitted, a little too quickly for his own liking. She began to laugh and he nudged her to get her to stop. "I'm serious. I think I have feelings for her. I knew you'd make fun of me."

"No, honey, it's not that. It's just, you're gay." She laughed again, but sobered up when she saw the look on his face. "I'm sorry. So who is it?"

"It's nobody you know."

"Oh, come on, honey. I won't tell. Please."

"You." he finally replied to her prodding. Silence enveloped them and he felt her body tense up against his. She looked up to his face, confused, and their eyes locked. Her breathing became shallow and her lips inched towards his. They closed their eyes and finally made a connection. Shockwaves were sent from his lips to hers and back as they renewed the kiss and she brought her hand up to cup his face, softly massaging his cheek. His hand came to rest on her lower back as he pulled her closer to him.

"You're a lying little whore." Will and Karen broke their kiss quickly and looked over to where the voice was ensuing.

"Kendra, what do you want?" Karen asked as she hurriedly stood from the chair. She was more confused than ever. Why would Kendra care what she was doing?

"I was taking a walk. I decided that maybe I'd come outside, you know, let the night air cool the throbbing of the bruises on my face, the bruises that you caused."

"Honey, no offense, but if you would have kept it in your pants in the first place then you wouldn't be having this problem." The woman moved closer and got in Karen's face.

"What about you? All your talk about being a loving wife was worthless all along. You made me feel horrible about what I was doing when you are doing the same thing." She said, crying as she quickly nudged Karen towards the railing.

"You're drunk. I think it'd be best if you went to bed." Will said to the woman as he stood from his chair.

"I don't think so. I'm here to serve out a vendetta."

"Honey, you're crazy." Karen said, slightly giggling. All amusement was lost when Kendra pushed her backwards, causing her to shift her balance. "Keep your fucking hands off of me!"

"Some mouth for a loving wife."

"You need to stop." Will began as he walked in between the women. A punch was thrown and he intercepted it in his stomach. Kendra stepped back with a shocked look on her face before she tuned and ran to her room. Karen was at Will's side in an instant.

"Oh my gosh, honey, are you okay?" she asked as she sat him down on the chair that they had recently occupied. She rubbed his back as his breathing began to find normalcy. "Just breathe honey."

"Since when does a little woman like that punch so hard?" he asked, an attempted joke. Karen laughed and continued to rub his back.

"Honey, you can't help it. Queers don't respond well to pain." She replied, laughing for a moment before the reality of the previous situation struck both of them. She shivered and picked the blanket up from the top of the chair before draping it over her shoulders.

"Karen, what just happened?" Will asked as he turned to face her. She shook her head.

"I don't know, honey, but we can't let it happen again."

"You felt it too didn't you?" he asked, referring to the wildfire that had engulfed them.

"Yeah, I did." She replied as she stood and took his hand in hers to help him stand up. He followed her lead and she looked into his eyes. "But I'm a married woman and I can't go around doing stuff like that."

"Who are you kidding, Karen? You and Jack do things far worse than that all the time."

"But there is no way that I could ever have feelings for Jack. I'm not so sure about you." He nodded, showing that he understood completely.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. I made the first move, honey."

"Yeah, but you wouldn't have if I would have just kept my mouth shut about my dreams." She giggled to herself. "Are you making fun of me again?"

"No, it's not that. It's just, well; I've been having dreams about you too." His eyes widened and she nodded. "They feel so real and it scares me, honey."

"I know what you mean."

"Do you think it'd be okay if we just pretended that nothing ever happened? Would that make it better?"

"We can pretend that it never happened, but I'm not going to forget it." He replied, eliciting a smile from her.

"Let's get some sleep, honey. The dance is tomorrow and I want you to be as fresh as a daisy." He laughed and put his arm around her shoulders as he walked her back to her room. Both of them slept peacefully throughout the night, dreaming passionate dreams of one another.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning the two friends spent time together in Karen's room. They discussed books, music, and movies as well as telling stories about their pasts and hopes for their futures. They felt strange sharing things with each other at first, but it eventually became more comfortable and they were able to really open up.

"So you're saying that you don't believe in love?" Will asked, astonished. Karen took a sip of her martini and nodded.

"I guess I believe in certain kinds of love, but I don't think people can fall head over heels in love with someone. I don't know, honey. To me it's always been about security and respect. Love has never been an issue."

"Wow. So what about a relationship do you believe in?"

"Sex, and a lot of it." They broke into laughter and she finished off her martini before she looked at the clock. "Oh, honey, we have to get to lunch before they stop serving it." She said and Will stood. They had already changed earlier in the morning and decided that their clothes would be alright to go to lunch in. He grabbed her hand and helped her stand from the couch before leading her to lunch.

"Karen, have you noticed that everyone here is staring at us?" Will asked in the middle of their meal.

"Yeah, honey, I have. Just ignore them."

"Okay, but why are they staring?"

"The hell if I know." She took another bite of her soup. "I'm sure that Kendra has been spreading some unbelievable gossip." She looked up and him and gave a small smile before they finished their meal. Karen tipped their waiter generously before they decided to walk over to the lounge area and play a game of pool.

"Wow, honey. Where did you get so good at this game?" Karen asked right before Will missed a shot. She smiled and giggled a little. "how ironic."

"Cute, Kare, just take your turn."

"Fine, but can I tell you why you missed your shot?" He chuckled until he realized that she actually knew.

"Okay, tell me why."

"You shot at about a forty degree angle when you needed a thirty." She replied as she took her first shot of the game. Will was confused.

"What the hell are you talking about? Since when are you a math whiz?" he joked.

"I'm not so much a math whiz as I am a winner." She looked into his eyes and playfully smiled. "I love to win, honey."

"You are so crazy." He laughed, nudging her with his elbow. She nudged him back.

"Honey, when you can be crazy, why would you ever want to be normal?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After a few games of beating Will in pool Karen went to her room to take a quick shower before the dance. She was sitting in a chair by the bed in her bathrobe when she began to think about her life. Whenever she wasn't busy doing something, her mind always tended to roam. She was lonely in her marriage and bored with her life. It was easy to dislike the people in her social circle and she was just ready to go back home and numbly live her life.

However, the thought of going home wasn't as appealing anymore. She wasn't sure when her husband was coming home, his guess was three months, and she would miss Will so much. Sure he would still be around, but they wouldn't have the same relationship. They wouldn't be able to see each other everyday and spend every waking moment together.

She didn't think he meant to do it, but he turned her on immensely. Her dreams didn't really help with her odd attraction towards him either because she always woke up in the middle of the night sweating and craving more of him, his hands and his lips. And then when she tried to go back to sleep, the dreams were there again. Even while thinking about the dreams she got turned on. She bit her bottom lip and began to run her hand up her thigh, hoping to relieve the pressure that was building in between her legs at his memory. She was just about to touch herself when there was a knock on the door. She threw her head back and groaned, completely dissatisfied that she couldn't even begin to get herself off before she was interrupted.

"What's up, honey?" Karen asked as she opened the door. Will stood before her in a deep black tux with a red rose pinned to it. Outwardly she only smiled, but inwardly she felt like she could faint at any moment. "Wow, you look nice."

"Do you like it? I bought it especially for this trip."

"It suits you well, honey. You want to come in?" he nodded and she stepped to the side to let him enter the room. After closing the door she turned to face him. "Why are you here so early?"

"I'm not. Dinner starts in fifteen minutes." Karen grabbed his arm and looked at his watch.

"Oh shit. I have to get ready." She said as she hurried into her room. Will sat down and looked to the door of the bedroom when he noticed that it was slightly cracked. As he watched he could see Karen's milky white skin begin to appear. She had untied her robe and it was slowly falling to reveal her shoulders and her bare back.

He turned his head away before her robe completely fell to the ground. He didn't want to invade her privacy any more than he already had. But he desperately wanted to see more than just her back. He wanted to see, and touch, her delicate curves. He wanted to be allowed to touch her and see her in a way that few had. And he didn't want to miss one minute that they had alone together. He walked over to the door of her bedroom and knocked.

"Are you dressed, Kare?"

"Yeah, honey. I'm doing my hair." She replied before he opened the door to walk into the room. He passed through the doorway of the bathroom to find her with a flat iron in her hand. He stopped and watched her.

"That dress is beautiful."

"Thank you, honey. Jackie helped me pick it out." She said as she straightened a few more sections of hair. She picked up the hairspray and put a few finishing touches on her hair before turning around to find Will laughing. "What's funny?"

"I just never realized how short you are." He continued to laugh as she feigned an astonished look. "You come up to my chin."

"Suck it, Mary." She replied as she pushed past him to slip into her shoes by the end of the bed. She walked back over to him and stood close, maybe too close. "There, now I come up to your forehead."

Their eyes locked and their breathing halted. She could smell his cologne and it all went to her head. Her dreams replayed themselves, him having his way with her anywhere he could. She began to feel hot. Before she could lean up to take his lips with her own he backed away.

"I'll just wait in the other room." He cleared his voice. She nodded and he walked away. After taking a moment to compose herself, Karen walked to where Will was and allowed him to lead her to dinner. She desperately needed to get a grip on herself.


	7. Chapter 7

"And now to end our weekend I would like to present Karen Walker to lead the spotlight dance." Beverly Leslie's annoying voice played over the speaker system.

"This is us, honey." She said to Will as they both stood from the table and made their way to the dance floor. He took her in his arms and they began to dance. He spun her around and the crowd watched as the couple glided across the dance floor. After a few moments the other people began to dance as well. "Thank you for coming with me, Will. I appreciate it."

"I've had fun. Maybe I should become a socialite. I'd get to wear glitzy dresses and three inch heels." He joked, eliciting a giggle from her. He spun her around, her back pressed up against him and her arms crossed in front of her, accentuating her cleavage even more than it already was. She leaned her head back and rested her cheek against his as they continued to sway to the music.

Will could feel her warmth up against his body and it gave him butterflies in his stomach. Her cheek was soft against his flushed face and he could feel her hips gracefully brushing his pelvis. He looked down at her only to find a generous amount of cleavage meeting his gaze. All of a sudden she stopped moving, her body tensed and her heart pounding in her chest.

"Will," she began, taking a deep breath before allowing herself to continue. "Are you hard?"

"Shh." He shushed her and she gasped.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she chastised. "Think of something gross."

"It doesn't work that way, Karen. Just walk out of the room in front of me." He panicked, completely mortified. She complied and they rushed out of the room, effectively hiding his 'problem.' Everything seemed to go smoothly until they reached a vacant hallway.

"Honey, how could you let that happen?" Karen yelled, pushing him away from her.

"I'm sorry. It's not like I can exactly control it." He fought back.

"You could have tried."

"I'm sorry, okay? Come on, I'm sure you've been in _some_ kind of similar situation." She rolled her eyes, obviously missing any point he was trying to make.

"No, honey, I haven't because I don't have a dick."

"Would you not talk like that?"

"Why, does it make you uncomfortable?" she asked as she got in his face, an attempt to make him feel threatened. "Now that's an experience we've shared. You know, a few minutes ago when your dick was making a guest appearance."

"Shut up, Karen. I mean it." She scoffed and got closer to his face.

"Dick."

"Fuck you."

"You wish."

His lips attacked hers and he pushed her against the wall. She couldn't help but moan into his mouth as his tongue penetrated her lips. He ran his hands over her stomach and pulled her closer by the waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sensually bit his lip as their kiss continued, a riptide of emotion rupturing in her stomach. All of a sudden he pulled away from her, leaving her feeling disheveled and oddly bare.

"I do wish." He whispered before disappearing around the corner, making his way to his room. Karen was left breathing heavily against the wall. Her body was burning for him and she wished that he wouldn't have stopped. But she was also thankful that he did stop. She didn't want to hurt her husband, but she had also never been kissed like that. She needed a release quickly, but decided that she could wait until she returned home, in the comfort of her own bed. After finally calming down her heart rate she went back to her room to change her clothes and finish her packing. Driver would be waiting for them to catch the boat within the next hour and she wanted to be ready.


	8. Chapter 8

Will and Karen both completely avoided the situation that had taken place in the hallway. They knew that discussing it would make it awkward between them and they didn't want to end the trip the way that it had begun. They made light conversation on the boat ride and once they were on the road home Karen finally addressed the issue.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you, honey." She said, rolling up the partition so that nobody, but Will would hear her sounding weak.

"No, Kare, it's my fault. I really couldn't control it."

"I know you couldn't." She moved from her seat and sat next to him in his. "I also wanted to talk about what happened between us."

"What is there to talk about?"

"Honey, this time it really can't happen again. I don't want to confuse things. Nothing more than friendly pecks are allowed."

"I know. I'm sorry too."

"So we're understood?"

"Understood." He replied, smiling and patting her hand with his. She leaned forward and pecked his lips, returning the smile afterward. He then leaned forward and pecked her lips in return, another example of a kiss that was appropriate. They smiled like children for a moment before she leaned forward and kissed him hard on the mouth. He was taken aback, but nevertheless responded when she began massaging his tongue with hers. She shrugged her coat off onto the floor of the car and began removing his as well. He felt her hands beginning to unbuckle his belt and knew that he had to have self-control in the situation. He grabbed her hands in his and pulled away from the kiss, breathlessly. "What about what you just said?"

"Fuck me." She demanded, removing any further doubt by pressing her lips against his again. She kicked her shoes off and straddled his lap. She quickly pulled his shirt off over his head before once again beginning to unbuckle his pants. He helped her pull them down before unbuttoning her shirt and running his hands over her breasts, kissing down to the top of her cleavage. His hands traveled up her thighs to take her panties off. He felt himself get even more excited when he realized that she was wearing a g-string.

Once her panties were thrown to the other side of the limo, Karen turned around. She straddled him once again, her back to his chest, and put her arm underneath his chin and her hand on the nape of his neck. She brought him into another heated kiss, lifting her hips and allowing him to enter her body.

She whimpered into his mouth when their connection was finally made. He began thrusting, unable to keep still for very long, and held her close to him with an arm around her stomach. She intertwined her fingers with the hair on the back of his head and moved her hips from front to back.

The bouncing movement of the limo added to the set pace of their thrusts caused an extra amount of pleasure to consume both of their bodies. They held onto each other so tightly that it seemed as if they were one person. She began to feel the warmth of an orgasm building in her stomach when Will picked up the pace.

The sound of their panting increased as they both neared the edge of their climax. He watched the rise and fall of her chest while she held back a moan, leaning her head back over his shoulder. He took the opportunity to kiss her throat, licking and biting her warm flesh.

She gasped as she finally let go, the warmth spreading from her stomach to every other inch of her body. She shivered and continued to move on top of him until he had the same experience. He finally came with a muffled sigh, filling her until their motion stopped.

They stayed connected for a few moments, catching their breath and gaining some kind of poise. After she was certain that she could move on her unsteady legs Karen lifted herself so that he could pull out. She pulled her skirt back down over her thighs and sat on the seat next to Will. He pulled his pants up and buckled his belt before turning to face her. She smiled shyly as she continued to button her shirt back up.

"So?" she whispered, not ready to break the sweet dome of silence. She had only thought of the mere pleasure that the situation would bring them. She never went over the following conversation in her head, or what it could possibly mean.

"Is it okay if I say it's the best I've ever had." He replied, grabbing her hand. She leaned forward and gently kissed his lips. "It's not another dream is it?"

"No, honey, that was real." He pulled her into a hug, caressing her back. The reality of the situation hit her and she felt ashamed. She had never had such amazing casual sex, but what was the cost? Did it mean that she had just ruined her marriage with Stan, or her friendship with Will?

"What are you thinking about right now?" he asked, still holding her in his embrace

"Nothing, honey." She replied, resting her cheek on his still bare shoulder.

"You know what I'm thinking about?"

"No, what?"

"I'm wondering if we just ruined everything." He replied, voicing the same fear that she had. She would have to tell Stan, no question about it. Their inquiry was, how were they going to act around their friends? And more importantly, how were they going to act around each other?


	9. Chapter 9

"Stanley, what are you doing home?" Karen asked as she walked into her husband's office. It had been a week since the Autumn Dance and it was the first time she had seen or spoken to her husband since.

"I got a few of my colleagues to stay and cover for me. You seemed a little down before I left and I wanted to make sure you're okay."

"Honey, that is so sweet." She responded as she walked over to him and kissed his lips. It felt wrong, but she ignored it. She hugged her husband before he suggested that they go out on a date. She felt flattered that he still wanted to spend time with her, even after all their years of marriage.

He took her to an expensive five star restaurant where they drank champagne and made eyes at each other the whole meal. For the first time in a long time she felt happy with him. The slight happiness that she felt didn't last long, though. After two hours alone they got annoyed by each other, almost to the brink of madness.

"You gave that woman two dollars as a tip! She ran around that restaurant for you the whole time that we were there, getting you every single thing that you beckoned for and you stiffed her!" Karen yelled as she threw her purse on a table by the door of the manse.

"She was rude about it! Either way she got thirty dollars!"

"She only got it because I went back and gave it to her!"

"Well what about you, getting that busboy fired a couple months ago? You're no better than me!"

"I didn't want to get him fired! He grabbed my boob! What was I supposed to do, let him?"

"You're such a snob!"

"You're a fat ass!

They stood still, breathing heavily and staring at one another. When they were first married the staring would lead to hours of love making and they would be happy again. However, as time passed they fell further and further out of sync. She looked to the ground and sighed.

"Honey, we aren't working anymore." She whispered, letting a single tear fall.

"Are you saying that you want a divorce?"

"Yeah, honey, I do."

Silence filled the air and the tension was thick. Their anger had subsided, but was replaced by the feeling of melancholy. She wiped her cheek where the tear had previously fallen and sighed. She couldn't believe that she was finally voicing her opinion about their marriage, wanting an ending to everything.

"Karen, I love you."

"I know you do, but our marriage is a wreck."

"We can fix it." He pleaded as he walked forward and took her hands in his. "Please don't do this to me."

"Honey, I'm not doing anything _to_ you." She consoled, putting a hand to his cheek. "You've given me everything that I could possibly want, but the problem is I don't want it anymore. You love me, but we're not in love anymore. You're in love with the idea of me. We aren't happy, Stanley."

"We could go to counseling. Let's work on it. I want to fix it."

"We've been to therapy before. The same thing always happens. We share our problems and then we fight over them. Honey, I can't keep living like this."

"What about me? I don't want to live without you."

She sympathetically smiled, knowing that she was hurting him very deeply. But she just couldn't bring false feelings into their marriage, she wanted honesty. Surprisingly enough, she actually did value honesty and she couldn't let them continue to fool themselves into thinking that they were happy. It wasn't honest at all.

"This will be for the best. We can't keep lying to ourselves."

He nodded, feeling guilty for not knowing how much his wife was hurting inside. She was always so talented at hiding her feelings that he never bothered asking how she was. He leaned down and kissed her lips, desperately wanting to turn back time. He patted her hands and slowly walked towards his office.

"Wait, honey." Her voice stopped him in his tracks. He turned around and sadly looked into her eyes. "I have to tell you something."

"Can it wait, darling?"

"I had sex with somebody." She finally said it out loud. The conversation had been playing in her mind for days and she felt relieved that she had confessed. It was tearing her up inside to hurt him, but he deserved to know the truth. But he didn't react in a fit of rage like she had expected. He only nodded.

"You can live here until you find another place." He said before he began walking away again. She followed him until they reached his office.

"You're not going to yell at me, or hit me or anything? Honey, please say something."

"Karen, I've never cheated on you and I don't understand how you could do something like that. But I also know that I haven't been the best husband over the years. I'll call Will tomorrow and get everything drawn up. We won't have to go to court if it's something that we can agree on."

"I don't mean to hurt you."

"I know you don't."


	10. Chapter 10

"Will Truman." He answered his phone. He was working late and wasn't expecting a call.

"It's me, honey."

His heart stopped. They had been trying to get their friendship back to the way it was before the trip, but it was difficult. It was not easy to talk about anything with Grace and Jack around all the time. It was surprisingly less awkward than they imagined it would be, though.

"What's wrong? You sound like you've been crying." She scoffed into the phone.

"Of course I haven't been crying. I don't do emotions, honey."

"Well, either way, there's a reason that you called me. What's going on?"

"I asked Stan for a divorce." She revealed into the phone. A moment or so passed. "Honey, are you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here. I'm just surprised. What are you going to do?"

"He said that I could stay here until I found a place of my own and we're going to agree on a settlement out of court. He's going to call you tomorrow."

"Then why are you calling me?"

"I just wanted to know if you'd like to meet me for a drink. I need a friend, honey"

Will weighed the situation in his mind. He would have loved to help Karen sort through her emotions, but he was worried that if they were alone together then something might happen. He still considered her as the best sex that he had ever had and he was worried about complicating their situation even further. He wasn't sure if it should, or would, happen again.

But what if she really needed him? He knew that she had trouble showing weakness, but what if the phone call was her cry for help? She needed to talk to someone and he decided that that someone had to be him.

"I'll meet you at the bar down the street from my office in twenty minutes."

"Which one?"

"The clean one."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Karen sat across from Will, a small table separating them from one another. It was eleven o'clock at night and the bar was warm, but dead inside. Their knees brushed as she shifted position in her chair. She smiled softly and took a sip of her margarita. The story of her evening had unfolded in front of Will and she was awaiting his reply.

"So, another divorce huh?" she smiled, distantly.

"Are you judging me, honey?"

"No."

They sat in silence for a moment before Karen spoke again. She wanted to do something crazy. The want for thrill filled her veins, along with her new choice of drink for the evening.

"Do you want to go swimming with me?" He squinted his eyes, confusion playing with his features.

"It's like fifty degrees outside."

"Oh, come on, honey. Let's at least go for a walk down by that lake by your apartment. I want to look at the water."

"I don't know, Kare. It's really cold."

"Please. You wouldn't want me to go alone and get mugged or something would you?"

Her hands were in the pockets of her coat as they walked along the sidewalk by the lake. It was usually a place for children to swim, but it turned into a beautiful scene at night. The stars were shining down on the water and the breeze was calm. They walked to a bench and sat down.

"Isn't it beautiful, honey?" Karen asked as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"It is, but its cold out here." She giggled and leaned forward on the bench. She took her shoes off and began rolling down her thigh high stockings. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm going swimming." She responded as she shred her coat and began unzipping her skirt.

"What? No." He stood and stopped her hands from pulling her skirt down. "You'll get sick."

"No I won't. Come on, honey, I'll get out as soon as I feel too cold."

"I can't let you do that. What if the water's dirty?"

"It's a place that children swim. The only thing it's filled with is lost water shoes and the occasional candy necklace." She took her skirt down and folded it neatly. He watched in utter fascination as she pulled her shirt off over her head. She tiptoed down to the edge of the water before Will grabbed her arm again. He looked into her eyes and tried to pull her back. She pushed him away and stepped into the cold water. "Oh, fuck." She gasped.

"I told you it was cold." She shrugged him off and walked further into the water until it covered her hips. He watched in awe as her soft, pale skin disappeared and she walked deeper into the water. He rolled his eyes and stripped down to his boxers before following her.

She held her breath and went under, feeling the cold water caress her face. When she returned to the surface she felt a pair of arms wrap around her middle. Stifling a scream, she turned around and came face to face with Will.

"Honey, what are you doing?" He pulled her closer to him, feeling her breasts press up against his chest.

"You're the one who called me." He brushed a finger over her cheek. "I guess I'm here to catch you if you fall."

She smiled sweetly and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself up so she could lean forward to press her forehead against his. He lifted her left hand and brought her fingers to his mouth, kissing the tips of them. She pushed her pelvis closer to his and rubbed her knee on his inner thigh. It was when the light of the moon caught the large diamond on her wedding ring that he questioned their current position. She noticed where his eyes had fallen and shrugged.

"It doesn't mean anything anymore, honey." She whispered, his eyes meeting hers.

"I'm not a reason for it am I?" She only smiled.

"It's been happening for years, honey. You don't have to worry."

He pondered their situation for a moment, thankful that she didn't answer his question the way that he had feared. He looked deep into her eyes and caught a glimmer of her sadness. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, his attempt to take her sadness away.

She pulled her wedding ring off of her ring finger and slid it onto her forefinger before she kissed him back, deepening their connection. He ran a hand over the curve of one side of her body before running his fingers through her dripping hair. She pulled him closer and wrapped a leg around his body, feeling him brushing against her center. He suddenly pulled away from their kiss, a bit breathless.

"Grace is at her parents' house. You want to go to my place?" he asked, running his palms down the back side of her body.

"Yes."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The spent hours making love in Will's bed before falling asleep in each other's arms. She felt strange being so close to him, but she also felt safe. She trusted him and felt like he would always be there for her. She hadn't expected to do anything with him, but talk when she asked him out for drinks, but she was very glad that something did happen. She felt alive again.

"You're going to be late for work if you don't get up, honey." Karen said as she rolled over on top of Will. She ran kisses down his jaw line and bit his earlobe. She smiled when she felt his reaction on her thigh and continued showering him with kisses, running her tongue over the skin on his neck.

"Maybe I'll just skip today." He caught her lips with his and ran his hand down the front of her naked body until he reached the utmost sensitive spot in between her legs. She gasped as he began rubbing her and buried her face in the crook of his neck, taking in his scent. He quickened his pace and rolled them over, spreading her legs further apart. Without warning he pushed into her body. She whimpered quietly and wrapped her legs around his waist, meeting his thrusts.


	11. Chapter 11

Will sat at his desk and thought about his life. Almost one week had passed since his first sexual encounter with Karen and one day had passed since his last. They didn't talk about it like they should have and she left his apartment, smiling to herself and humming a tune. He knew that she enjoyed their time together, as did he, but he was also left very confused. Was he gay anymore? He checked out the man at the coffee shop earlier that morning so he knew the answer to that question, but what about Karen? Was she only using him for the sex? He had to admit that he wouldn't blame her because the sex was unlike anything he had ever felt before. But for some reason he felt like she wasn't using him.

Stan and Karen had agreed on an amount of money for her divorce settlement. She received one hundred million dollars and a large pay cut from his monthly income. Since he was worth over seven hundred million dollars, he didn't seem too shaken and gave her the money willingly. The divorce would be final within the next few weeks and then she would be able to move on with her life. Will had a feeling that her new home would be close to her three best friends and that feeling gave him a smattering of joy.

"Are you Will Truman?" asked a young girl as she poked her head into the office.

"Yes I am, come in." he stood from his seat and stood behind his desk as she closed the door and made her way over to him.

"I'm sorry for just barging in, but I think your secretary is at lunch." She said, smiling a beautiful, white smile and shaking hands with him.

"It's fine. What can I do for you?" he asked as he sat back down, motioning for her to do the same. She politely thanked him and took her seat, placing her purse and coat in the seat next to hers.

"My name is Felicity and I need your help."

"How old are you?"

"I'm eighteen."

"What do you need a lawyer for?"

"Well, honey, if you would just let me tell you then you'll find out." He shook his head and looked into the girl's hazel eyes. She also had long dark hair and delicate features. She reminded him so much of Karen that it scared him a bit. When she received no response, she continued. "I'm looking for Karen Walker and I heard that you are her lawyer. I need you to tell me where she works."

"You're looking for Karen?"

"You are one sharp tack." She sarcastically commented. He scowled and she smiled her apology. Before he could ask for an explanation his office door flew open and a whirl of excitement flooded in. Karen and Jack bounded through the door, jumping up and down, completely disregarding the young woman in the room.

"Will, you are never going to guess where I found an apartment." Karen said, running over and grabbing one hand while Jack grabbed the other.

"You remember the old foreign looking guy that used to live right in between us?" Jack asked.

"Mr. Zahmirr?"

"Oh, honey, who cares? I got the place."

"You did?" he asked as he stood from his seat and embraced her. "When are you moving in?"

"As soon as I get a couple of my hunky friends to help me move my things." She hinted.

"Oh, Will, you can come too." Jack said, causing Karen to giggle. Jack then walked towards the door. "Come on Karen we can get started now."

"Wait, your name is Karen?" Felicity asked as she stood from her seat and walked over to the millionaire. "Karen Walker?"

"Yeah, honey, who the hell are you?"

"Wow you're not anything like I imagined." She said as she reached out to touch Karen's face. Her hand was quickly slapped away and she was taken aback.

"Who are you?" she asked once again. The room froze as the young woman looked into a matching pair of hazel eyes.

"I'm your daughter."

Karen's heart skipped a few beats and she felt like she was going to faint. Will walked up behind her and put a loving hand on the small of her back, comforting her. She stared at the girl for a moment before she walked behind her and began lifting the back of her shirt.

"Karen what are you doing?" Will asked, but received no answer as she pulled the back of the girl's bra down and stopped her movement. She let go and pulled the shirt back down before taking a deep breath.

"I'm looking for her birthmark." She replied, sort of nonchalantly before clearing her voice. "Well, honey, I'm in the middle of a divorce and I don't really have the money to be…"

"I'm not here for money. I'm here to meet my mother. You know, the one who abandoned me?" Felicity responded as tears began welling in her eyes. She hid them well and softened her gaze. "Can we at least go somewhere and talk?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Karen sat across from a beautiful and much younger version of herself in a coffee shop by Will's office. Will and Jack were seated next to the door in case she tried to run away. She had no clue what to think about her daughter coming back into her life. Even thinking about the idea sent shivers down her spine.

"Why did you leave me?"

"Honey, I was…"

"Use my name. Do you even remember it?" Karen was taken aback by her directness and suddenly felt very small. It wasn't often that Karen Walker felt weak, but she certainly wasn't a virgin to the feeling. And she certainly wasn't going to let it show.

"Felicity, I was young and incredibly stupid."

"Then why didn't you come back for me when you were older?" she began to raise her voice. Maybe a public atmosphere wasn't a good place for their confrontation. "And don't tell me it's because now you're old and stupid."

"You know you're treading on thin ice, little girl."

"I'm not a little girl. I'm…"

"I know how old you are. You turned eighteen on Wednesday." The girl looked at her biological mother, for the first time understanding that maybe her explanation of the past would be a little different than the story she had received from her father.

"Tell me why you left. And don't lie to me." she whispered. Karen's first instinct was to lie, but the seriousness in Felicity's eyes told her that the truth would be her best bet.

"I left because your father had a habit of hitting me. Honey, don't think that I didn't want to take you with me. I tried so hard to get you out of that house, but I was only twenty-five years old and I had no idea what I was doing. He ended up catching me and there was a huge custody battle after the divorce. I had no money for a lawyer and somehow he proved that I was an unfit mother and I lost all of my rights to you." She didn't let even a single tear fall, though she knew that once she was alone the tears would flood over. "I left and I never looked back. I couldn't."

"He said it was because you never wanted me." The young woman whispered. Karen reached across the table and placed her hand atop an identical one. She smiled, ignoring the fact that her own daughter thought that she could ever hate her. She wouldn't show it, but she was so happy that she could see her again.

"Honey, you look so much like me." She chuckled, very shortly.

"I'm sorry I was so rude, Karen. I just didn't get the right story."

"I understand." Silence filled the air as they observed each other's faces. Karen took a deep breath and sighed. "Do you have a place to stay?"

"No, I just flew in this morning."

"What if you were to live with me for a while, honey? Maybe we can make up for lost time."

"Won't that be awkward?"

"Honey, it can't get much more awkward than it is right now."


	12. Chapter 12

"Karen this place smells like old foreign guy." Jack said as he placed another stack of boxes on the ground of her new apartment.

"I know, Poodle. I lit some lilac candles, but it's not really helping." She took a few books out of a box and put them on a very large bookshelf. Jack sat down on the couch that Stan gave to her and sighed.

"Kare, why didn't you tell us about her?" she looked into his expectant eyes and walked over to him. She sat next to him on the couch and took his hand in hers.

"Honey, would it be wrong if I said that I never thought I'd see her again? I guess that I didn't want her to be real so I just never told anyone."

"We're supposed to be friends, Karebear. You know everything about me and I just thought that maybe you would tell me all about you."

"You never asked."

"I didn't know I had to."

"Maybe you should ask more questions, Jackie."

"But you're always so secretive." She sighed and laid her head on his shoulder, her own version of an apology.

"I promise that I'll tell you things from now on, Poodle. But sometimes you have to ask too."

They stayed on the couch for a while, holding each other, before Will walked through the door with Felicity. He sensed the slight tension between the two friends and wished that he hadn't picked that particular moment to intrude. He was thankful when Grace walked into the room, but became alarmed when she pushed past him to get to Karen.

"Why the hell didn't you tell us about this?" she chastised as she stood in front of her assistant. She had obviously just discovered the secret, most likely from Will. Karen stood to meet her gaze.

"I just got it from Jackie and now I'm getting it from you?"

"We're supposed to be friends. What else are you hiding about your life Karen? Is there anything else that going to pop up out of nowhere?"

Karen wanted to declare, 'I fucked your best friend!' But decided against it and took a higher road. She didn't want so much to deal with at once when she was already so confused about every facet of her life. She needed a drink so she walked over to her new refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of gin.

"I don't have anything to say Grace." She said as she took a long drink from the bottle.

"Is this something else that you're just going to drink away?" she pushed.

"Stop it."

"Why, because you can't handle it?"

"Honey, why won't you just get off of my fucking back?" she shouted, immediately regretting the fact that she had snapped. She softened her tone before speaking again. "Please, just let me breathe before you start badgering me." Grace's face took a look of hurt and she began to walk over to her own apartment. Karen sucked it up and grabbed her friend's hand before she could leave. "I'm sorry, Gracie. Please stay." She whispered, hoping that nobody else heard. Grace nodded and leaned over to peck her lips in a form of forgiveness.

"Hey Kare, can I talk to you in my apartment?" Will asked when Grace began helping Jack empty boxes and put things away. Felicity was arranging everything in her new room and he decided that it would be a good time to address his own issue with Karen.

They passed through the door of his apartment and stopped, looking into each other's eyes. He noticed that her eyes were red and figured that she had barely had a moment to properly shed tears. She was lost and confused and he was the only one of her friends who noticed it so he locked the door and grabbed her hand.

"Honey, I really should be getting things put away."

"You know what I think you should do? I think that you should sit down for a second and just cry." He walked her over to the couch and sat her down. He joined her and tried to ignore the angry look on her face.

"You think that just because you and I spent the other night together then you know me? I don't do emotions, honey." He leaned forward and kissed her lips softly before pulling away and looking into her eyes.

"Come on, I told you my biggest fear." He smiled, knowing that she recalled the night that they took the next step in their friendship. She smiled as well before she hugged him and buried her face in his shoulder. "I won't tell." He whispered.

She weighed the situation in her head. She thought about all of the years that she had spent alone, even with Stan she felt alone. She had spent many nights getting drunk in her bathroom and crying until she couldn't breathe. He had never even acknowledged that she was sad and that fact hurt her even worse.

What was happening between her and Will? She felt horrible for sleeping with him and leaving the way that she had, but she didn't want to talk about it. She wasn't using him, by any means, but she was in the middle of a divorce. She wasn't ready to even think about starting a new relationship with anyone. And wasn't he gay?

And her eighteen year old daughter had suddenly reappeared in her life after sixteen years of separation. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to be the girl's friend or her mother. She hated the fact that she loved her daughter, whether or not she really knew her. Would she ever really know her? Would she ever find the right person to love her and spend the rest of her life with?

Will hugged her tighter when the tears began to fall from her eyes. She held him so close that she felt like he was her only saving grace. She sobbed harder and he felt his shirt beginning to get wet from her tears.

"It's going to be okay, sweetie." He comforted as he rubbed his hands over her back. She suddenly pulled away so she could look into his eyes. He wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs and held her face in his hands. She leaned forward and kissed him, running her tongue over his bottom lip before pushing it into his mouth.

He kissed her back and pulled her closer to his body. She rose up and pushed him down onto his back as she reached down between them and began to put her hand down his pants. He quickly pulled away as she sniffled and wiped a few more tears from her eyes.

"They're all right across the hall."

"You locked the door, right?" he nodded and she pecked his lips. "We'll just skip most of the foreplay." She kissed him again and he didn't stop her when she unbuttoned his shirt and kissed her way down to the line of his pants, pulling them down his legs with his boxers. He looked down at the trail of crimson lipstick that she left down the front of his body and smiled to himself before he pulled her back up to his lips. He lifted her shirt off over her head and went for the zipper on the back of her skirt.

She readjusted her position so that he could take her skirt and thong from her body before sitting up on his thighs. She looked into his eyes and placed her hands on his shoulders, lifting herself and allowing him to enter her body. She sighed at the connection and leaned down to kiss his lips as she began riding him.

He moaned into her mouth and ran his hands up and down the side of her body, finally resting them on her smooth thighs. She scratched her fingernails down his chest as she sat up and fell deeper onto him. She let his hands guide her movement as she squeezed her muscles around him.

He sped up the pace and she put one hand on the back of the couch for support while the other caressed his lower stomach near their connection. She felt a well known warmth beginning to build in her own stomach and desperately awaited her release. He lifted her higher and quickened the pace of their movement once again. She sighed while allowing her head to fall back. Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"Karen, can I talk to you?" asked Grace from the other side of the door. Will stalled his movement and Karen shot him a completely dissatisfied look.

"Will, don't stop." She whispered, and he immediately picked up the pace once again. She bit her lower lip and stifled a moan. "I'll be there in a minute!" she shouted to Grace, her answer able to fool even the most in depth person. She sounded as if nothing at all was going on.

She rose up one final time and the both simultaneously surrendered to their orgasms. She continued to move on top of him as his fingers pierced the flesh of her hips. He pulled her onto his chest and kissed her hard, biting her bottom lip in pleasure. She sighed into his mouth.

"Karen?"

"I'm on my way, honey." She replied to Grace's beckoning from the hallway. She pecked Will's lips again before he pulled out and they rushed to put their clothes back on. She ran to the mirror that was hanging over the fire place and cleaned her smeared lipstick, cringing at the sight of her passion distended lips. Will hurried to his bedroom and changed his shirt, cleaning the remaining lipstick off of his face and neck.

"What is it, Gracie?" Karen asked after taking a deep breath and opening the door. Grace gave her a strange look and walked into the room.

"I just wanted to apologize for what I said to you earlier. What was going on in here?" she asked as she walked over to the couch and picked up one of Karen's earrings off of the floor. "Is this yours?"

"Oh, yeah, honey, thank you." She said, taking the jewelry from Grace and putting it in her ear.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. And I appreciate your apology. I'm sorry too, honey." She said as she leaned up and hugged her. Grace pulled back quickly and grabbed Karen's shirt, sniffing the collar.

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked as she pulled away from her.

"Sorry, I was just…you smell like Will." Her heart dropped. Was she allowed to tell Grace about what was happening? She and Will hadn't even talked about it so she decided to lie.

"Oh do I? It must have been when I hugged him. We just talked about some stuff and he really helped. Anyway, honey, I should probably get back to my apartment. Who knows what kinds of things Jack has gotten in to?" she giggled before she walked back to over her new home.

"Hey, Gracie, when did you get here?" Will asked as he walked out of his bedroom.

"Where were you?"

"I was just changing my shirt. You will never believe this, Karen opened up to me." He said, knowing that it would be the perfect thing to keep her away from inquiry of what happened before she walked through the door.

"What? What did she say? Did she cry? Is she alright?"

"She's fine." He said as he walked over and took a seat on the couch. "You know, I feel really close to her right now." He smirked.


	13. Chapter 13

"So did you go to your prom or play any sports in high school?" Karen asked as she and her daughter sat on her bed with a bowl of popcorn. They had rented movies and talked for hours. She desperately wanted to know about every aspect of her daughter's life and she couldn't hear enough.

"I didn't play any sports. I'm more of a musical theatre type of gal." she laughed and took a sip of her pop. Karen giggled and became thrilled to know that she and her daughter had so much in common.

"I used to do theatre when I was your age. That's what I was doing when I met Stan."

"Seriously?" she asked, excited as well. "That is so amazing."

"What about boys or, you know, girls?" she asked, embarrassed that she didn't even know her own child's sexual preference.

"Well to answer your unasked question, I'm not a lesbian. Nice way of being subtle though." She replied with a giggle. "I've only dated one guy for a few months. We broke up and now he's one of my best friends."

"Honey, can I ask a personal question that I probably shouldn't?"

"Yes, Karen, I'm a virgin." She took another handful of popcorn and watched her mother's face take a look of relief. "Why do you care?"

"I don't know." She shrugged, finishing off her martini. "I just figured you're a lot like me and maybe it's best if we were…a little different." She stood from her bed and walked over to the mini bar in her room to refill her glass. Felicity watched her quickly pop a few pills into her mouth, empty the glass and fill another before walking back over and resuming her position on the bed. "Well then, let's move on to a lighter subject. Do you want to go to college?"

"I can't afford it. What were all of those pills you just took?" Karen shrugged and furrowed her brow.

"I don't know, honey, why?" the young woman stood from the bed and walked over to the mini bar. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Why are you taking pain killers? Are you sick or something?" she asked after reading the label on one of the bottles. "Antidepressants, lithium, oxycontin, how did you get all of these? And why are you drinking while you're taking them? Is it okay to mix all of these with birth control?"

"Okay, listen, honey. I'm not sick or anything, I just like the feeling I get when I take them." She replied as she walked over and took the pill bottles, hiding them away in her night table. "So what kind of major would you choose, honey?" she asked, making known that she did not want to answer personal questions. Felicity walked back over to the bed and picked up some of the popcorn mess that they had made

"Actually, I think that I should get some sleep. I'm going out job hunting tomorrow."

"Oh." Karen replied, fidgeting and mentally kicking herself for showing her flaws so quickly. She smiled, hiding everything, and walked over to hug her daughter. "If you need any help, honey, then just let me know. And please be careful. I don't want you to get mugged or something. You know, maybe I should go with you. Manhattan really isn't a place for a pretty little girl like you to be running around alone. Unless you want to go alone, I mean, I can't stop you. But if you…"

"Okay, stop." She said, giggling at the nervousness in Karen's voice. "I was actually going to ask if you and Jack want to come with me."

"Yeah, I do." she said sheepishly. Felicity walked up to her mother and gave her a longer hug than before.

"I know we haven't really known each other for very long, but…can I call you mom?"

Karen's heart melted and she looked into her daughter's eyes. She couldn't hold it back as a tear fell down her cheek. She smiled and placed her hand on the young woman's cheek.

"Honey, I would love that so much."


	14. Chapter 14

Karen and Felicity had been living together for a week and were having the time of their lives. They both made it a point to learn as much as they could about the other's life and mind. They learned which topics were a good point of conversation between the two and which topics that they should avoid.

Karen and Will had made love many times that week, her sneaking over to his bedroom in the middle of the night, him catching her in the elevator after work. They didn't talk about their situation, but both of them knew that the time was approaching. It would soon be time to acknowledge their feelings to one another.

"Oh, Will." Karen sighed as he collapsed on top of her sweaty body. He kissed her neck and quickly found her lips, bringing her into a passionate kiss that made her lips feel like they were on fire. He pulled out of her and broke their kiss, rolling over to pull her on top of him. She kissed his neck all the way up to his ear. "Honey, we should talk about this." She whispered after they took a moment to catch their breath. He sighed and ran his hands over the smooth skin of her bare back.

"I don't even know where to start." She kissed his neck once again before rolling off of him, propping her head up on the pillow with her hand. He rolled over to mirror her position, intertwining his legs with hers.

"Well, let's start with finding out what all of this means. Why are we doing this?"

"I don't know. I really like being with you, Karen, but I thought that I was gay. And I know that you're not ready to get into another relationship so soon after the divorce."

"Honey, you _thought_ that you were gay?"

"I don't know, I guess I still am, but I'm attracted to you." She giggled and placed her hand on his cheek.

"I think that just means that you're bisexual. Welcome to the club." He leaned forward and kissed her, lingering only for a moment.

"Why do you think that we're doing this?"

"I guess we understand each other, honey. We have a lot in common and we're not afraid to hurt each other's feelings. Isn't that all the reason we need?" He pondered her statement for a moment before pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You're the only one who knows my darkest secrets and biggest fears."

"You're the only one who's ever seen me cry."

"I don't want us to stop seeing each other."

"Honey, we can't lie to Jack and Grace."

"How do we tell them?"

She sighed and rolled over onto her back. She had no idea what to say. She had always valued honesty, to a certain extent of course, and their relationship had to be brought out in the open. It wasn't fair to anyone if they kept it a secret.

"I'll tell Jack if you tell Grace."

"Why do I get the difficult one? Switch me." He joked as he rolled over on top of her. She giggled and ran her hands through his hair before kissing his lips. They made love once more before Karen decided that she should get back to her apartment.

She redressed and left Will's bedroom after a mind blowing kiss, making sure that she was not seen when she left. She then walked over to her own apartment and tried to unlock the door. When she turned the handle she realized that it had already been unlocked. She rushed into her new home and took a quick look around the kitchen and living room area, making sure that nobody was there, before retreating to her bedroom. She quietly closed the door behind her and flicked on the lights.

"Oh, fuck!" she screeched when she turned around to find Jack just inches from her face. "What are you doing?" she asked after she calmed herself down, also noticing that Felicity was sleepily sitting on her bed.

"Karen, I have a problem and I need my best friend to help me. So I figured I'd come over here and see if you'd let me sleep over, no pajama bottoms of course."

"Poodle, what's wrong? And why did you wake Felicity?"

"He said that he couldn't find his key." She replied before falling backwards onto the bed, taking in her mother's scent.

"Karen, I think that my apartment is haunted. I keep hearing creepy noises and there's nobody there to tell me what it is." She sighed and patted his shoulder.

"You can spend the night, honey. I have some stuff to talk to you about anyway."

"Oh, thank you Kare. Hey Felicity, you want to sleep in here too? It'll be like a sleepover." He said as he rushed over to Karen's bed and hurried his new niece under the covers. Karen walked over to the bed and crawled in between the two.

Did she really need to tell him? What would be the price to pay? What would her daughter think of her? She was such a good girl and it made her sad to think that she would set any kind of bad example. She felt Jack wrap his arm around her and cuddle into her shoulder. She felt like such a slut.

"What did you want to talk to me about, Kare?"

"Well, I just have something to confess, and I don't know how mad at me you'll be." She replied. She didn't continue and Jack took it as his note to step in.

"Karebear you told me that you weren't going to keep things from me anymore, especially when I ask. So, I'm asking, what do you need to tell me?" she sighed.

"I'm sleeping with Will." She felt the people on both sides of her body sit up and stare at her with shocked expressions on their faces. Jack shook his head and tried to make sense of the admission.

"Okay, let me get this straight. Will sleeps with men. Will sleeps with women. Karen sleeps with men. Karen sleeps with…do you sleep with women?"

"Only once, honey." She breathed, rolling her eyes at his oddly confusing train of thought.

"So, Karen and Will." He cringed and looked into her expectant hazel eyes, startling her a bit. "Do you love him?"

"It's way too soon for that, Poodle."

"Oh." He looked down only to have his face pulled back up to hers.

"Honey, are you mad?"

"No. I'm just really confused." She pulled him down to lie on her chest again.

"It's okay. I am too." Silence engulfed them as they all broke into their own trains of thought. Jack had already decided to give them his blessing and was thinking about his ghost. Karen was so relieved that she was finally able to let her secret relationship out. They were all bordering sleep when Felicity spoke up, perplexed.

"Mom, you slept with a woman?"


	15. Chapter 15

Karen walked into Grace Adler Designs early on Monday morning with Felicity in tow. The young woman was having serious trouble finding a job so Karen decided that maybe Grace could use another assistant. After all, maybe a younger generation would be better equipped to work a fax machine.

"Hello, Gracie." She said as she walked through the door and hung her coat on the back of her chair. She was on her way to get a stool for her daughter when Grace gave her a strange look. "What is it, honey?" It only took Grace a moment to respond, turning to completely face her.

"You bitch."

The room fell silent as the two women were left staring at each other. They both knew what the comment was about and the feeling of uncertainty was mutual. Karen took a deep breath and looked down to the floor.

"The least you could do is look at me after stabbing me in the back." She jerked her head up to meet Grace's gaze, startled at the coldness in her voice.

"I didn't stab you in the back, honey."

"By fucking my best friend you did! Why are you always such a whore? You just go around screwing everyone don't you?"

"I don't know anything that makes him yours!"

"What would you say if I had sex with Jack?" Karen laughed to herself, not noticing the defeated look on Grace's face. "Damn it Karen, listen to me! I'm _so_ mad at you and you're laughing!"

"Honey, this is ridiculous."

"Maybe for you, but I see this as you screwing me over!" she yelled, her features were hard and dark. Karen had never seen her in such a serious way and it made her more nervous that she thought that she could be.

"That wasn't my intention, Gracie." She whispered while looking into her friend's eyes.

"You're fired, Karen. Get out." Grace said and walked back to the swatch room. Karen's mouth was agape and she could barely grasp the situation. She took a deep breath and began to follow Grace when she felt a hand on her arm.

"Mom, maybe you should give her a little time." Karen nodded and looked towards the swatch room one last time before she began cleaning off her desk, putting its contents in her purse. She and Felicity were just about to walk out the door when Grace rushed back into the room.

"Karen, this is the problem with fighting with your friends. You have no one to talk to." She was in tears. Karen quickly put her things down and walked over to pull her into a hug. Grace hugged her back and cried into her shoulder.

"Felicity, honey, here's my credit card." Karen said after she sat Grace on her chair. She handed her daughter her Platinum card and walked her to the door. "I'll meet you in a little bit at Barney's, okay?" she nodded to her mother's request and walked out the door, leaving it cracked behind her.

"I'm sorry, Kare, but this hurts so bad." Grace said as Karen took her hand with her own.

"I don't know why. Honey, you have had years to get over him."

"That's when I thought that he was gay. He didn't want me because I'm a woman. Why would he want you?" she asked with an extreme harshness in her teary voice. Karen looked to the ground and backed away a bit.

"I don't know." She whispered, honestly. "What I do know is that I've never been as happy as I am right now, Gracie. I'm sorry that you're hurting, but it just wasn't meant to be for you two…"

"Why did he choose you, though? What makes you so great?" Karen dropped her hand and gave her a dirty look.

"I don't know why he wants me, but I'm lucky that he does. I know I'm no prize, Grace, but I am a woman and I do have feelings." Grace only scoffed.

"You don't have feelings. You drown them with pills and alcohol."

"Honey, that's not fair."

"Just get out! Go and meet your perfect daughter at Barney's where you'll spend hundreds of dollars on perfect things that you don't even need! Go ahead and live your perfect life!"

Karen felt herself snapping, her temper beginning to boil and her breathing getting heavier. It usually took a lot for her friends to actually make her angry, but Grace had just accomplished that task. She grabbed her friend by the chin and looked into her eyes.

"You know, I really wish that people would stop saying that. Let me let you in on the _perfect_ life of Karen Walker." She said as she forcefully released Grace's face. "My childhood sucked. I have three failed marriages behind me. My second husband put me through a lot of crazy shit and he took my daughter away. After sixteen years she's finally back in my life. I have never had anyone tell me that they loved me and actually mean it. You have no idea how I have felt every day of my life." She couldn't stop the tears that began to escape from her eyes. She angrily wiped them away with the back of her hand and continued. Grace allowed her to continue, knowing that she had probably never let anything out of her head before. "You know, I was going to kill myself? I was honestly going to kill myself until Will kissed me. He genuinely cares about me, honey, and I care about him more than you will ever know. If you want to take that away from me, from us, then go ahead and try. I'm not going to give up on a chance at happiness for your sad feeling that will be gone by tomorrow. I have been miserable for my whole life and I'm done trying to make you feel better for something that really has nothing to do with you."

"Karen…"

"Don't even start." She interrupted as she sniffled and wiped more tears off of her cheeks. "Call me when I can come back to work, honey." She picked up her coat and purse and opened the door. Her heart stalled as she came face to face with Will and Jack, who had obviously heard a lot of the conversation. She stood tall and pushed them out of the way before she pushed the button of the elevator. Will quickly followed her and made it into the elevator just before the doors closed. He wrapped her in a caring hug as she let her stifled tears fall into his shoulder.

"She didn't mean what she said, sweetie."

"No, honey, she did." She replied, pulling him closer. "I'm so sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for." He said as he held her at arms length and looked into her red eyes. "Don't let her upset you. This whole situation has just freaked her and Jack out."

"Oh, honey, Jack was fine. He went to sleep after I told him." She cleared her voice and pulled herself together as the elevator doors opened.

"Actually he just didn't want to hurt your feelings. He came and made sure that my intentions were good this morning." She giggled a very small giggle as he reached down and grabbed her hand. She looked at their affectionate hand connection with a confused expression. He was holding her hand, treating her like they were a couple. "What, I'm not allowed to hold your hand?" she looked up to his eyes.

"I've just never had anyone hold my hand for no reason but to keep up appearances. It's nice, honey."

"Well, I've never cared about anyone like I care about you." He leaned down and kissed her, on the street in front of the office, in public, just because he wanted to. Her heart warmed and she felt butterflies in her stomach when his lips touched hers. He took the rest of the day off of work and spent it with her and her daughter, laughing and acting like a couple. She was falling for him more that she ever thought possible.


	16. Chapter 16

Karen was awakened early on a Sunday morning by a weighty object being thrown onto her bed. She sat up to find a dress that she had never seen before along with a new pair of shoes. She grabbed her glasses off of her night table and put them on her face. To her surprise it was Felicity that was throwing things onto her bed.

"Honey, what the hell are you doing?"

"We're going to church."

"What?" she asked with a confused look on her face. "Honey, I haven't been to church in years."

"Well then there's a good reason why you're going. I found a Christian church just a few blocks from here. Come on, get off your ass." She said as she handed her mother a cup of coffee. She took a sip and coughed, giving a disgusted expression at the idea of straight coffee. "You will be fine without alcohol for a few hours."

She watched as Felicity walked out of the room to turn off the coffee pot. She wanted her to go to church? What was she going to do there? And besides that, all churches ever wanted was money, everybody knew that. Sure, she prayed from time to time and she believed in God, but how would she be accepted in a church? She had a very colorful life, not to mention a very colorful vocabulary.

"Mom, get up. I got you a new dress and everything. Oh, and I thought it would be fun to see you in a pair of jeans so I bought some for you." Felicity said as she poked her head in the open doorway.

"I don't think so, honey." She replied as she lay back down on her pillow. Her daughter groaned and walked over to pull the covers from the form in the bed. She pulled her struggling mother until she was in a sitting position. She looked up to her with an angry glare. "Don't make me dress you." She looked up and bit her lip, her own way of keeping in a snide remark.

"Fine."

She was shocked at the compactness of the church. She walked down the center isle with her daughter, holding hands as if she was afraid, and they took a seat in a pew in the back of the sanctuary. Within moments people began greeting them and making conversation, like they were old friends. Karen smiled at the fact that the people were so friendly and warm to people that they didn't even know. The preacher approached them before the service began and talked to her about the mission of the church, their reason for congregating. She gave generously to the offering after hearing the preacher's message. She decided that they weren't just after money. They genuinely cared about others, about faith in God. It was more than she ever expected.

"Karen, I've been knocking on your door all morning. Where were you?" Will asked when Karen and Felicity stepped off of the elevator.

"Oh, hi honey. We just went to church." Will gave her a strange look and walked over to grab her hands in his.

"How high are you?" she scoffed and snatched her hands away from his.

"No, Will, she's not high. She's not even buzzed. She hasn't had alcohol in four hours." Felicity boasted to her mother's lover. She smiled at them before walking into her apartment and changing her clothes.

"Wow, so you went to church. I thought you were Satan's mistress."

"Honey, I hate it when you say stuff like that. You know, I realized that I've missed having a relationship with God." She had undergone an awakening and was hoping that he could see that in her eyes. He smiled and leaned forward to softly kiss her lips.

"I'm so happy for you, sweetie." They embraced for a moment before Jack rushed out of his apartment, giggling like a little girl.

"Karen you will never guess what I have for us!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She couldn't believe that she had agreed to learn how to rollerblade with Jack. She had never done it before and felt ridiculous. She also felt odd in a pair of jeans and a tee shirt that her daughter had bought for her a few days before. She wouldn't have normally worn the outfit, but her daughter was very persuasive when it came to getting what she wanted.

"Jackie don't let go of my hand!" she shrieked as he pulled her down the sidewalk with him, obviously having skated for years. He held on tighter and led them back to the steps where Will, Grace, and Felicity were all having a mini-picnic together and laughing at the two adults who were acting like children.

Jack pulled Karen over to the side of the steps and stopped instantaneously. She, who was not very good at stopping, tripped over her own feet and fell straight to the ground. Jack tried to stop her fall by holding her hand tighter, but he only succeeded in falling on top of her. They hit the ground with a forceful drop, causing the other three to feel a surge of alarm arise within.

"Damn it, Karen, why couldn't you have just stopped?" Jack criticized as he rolled off of her and began to get up. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, honey, I just killed my back." She replied with a wince as she sat up on the sidewalk. After stabilizing himself, Jack placed his hands underneath her arms and lifted her from the ground. "That hurts like hell." He held her up as Will walked over to the both of them.

"What happened?" he asked as he put her arm around his shoulder and helped Jack keep her standing.

"She broke her back Will." Jack panicked. Will and Karen rolled their eyes at his ignorance before Will put his hands behind her knees and lifted her into his arms. She squealed in surprise.

"What are you doing, trying to break _your_ back? I'm too heavy, honey, put me down."

"Shut up and let me help you." He successfully silenced her and walked her back to her apartment to rest her back. She really seemed to be in pain.

"Mom, pull your pants up!" Felicity yelled behind them, taking a bite of her apple. She then turned to Grace and Jack. "I don't care how bad her back hurts, nobody wants to see their mother's g-string hanging out." The two friends laughed at the similarity between mother and daughter and continued their picnic, knowing that Karen would be completely taken care of.

Meanwhile, Will and Karen had finally made it into her apartment. He sat her on the edge of her bed and took her skates off of her feet. He kneeled down and removed her socks as well before walking over to her closet and getting a pair of flat shoes.

"Honey, what are you doing?" she asked as he put the shoes down by her feet.

"I'm taking care of you." He grabbed her upper arms and softly laid her on her back.

"It feels better now. I'm fine."

"Would you stop and let me take care of you?" he winked.

"But I don't…" she was quickly cut off by a mind blowing kiss on her lips. She responded, sighing, and pulled him down onto the bed beside her while he invaded her mouth with his tongue. She pulled him into a closer embrace and ran her hands through his hair. Just as his hands were going for the button on her pants she pulled away, loosely smiling. "We'd better get back outside."

"You know what I just realized?" he asked as he came to a sudden conclusion. "You don't want to have sex with me in your bed."

"You're crazy." She denied as she slowly sat up, wincing, and finally stood on her feet.

"I am not. We never do it here; you always come over to my place. Why can't we do it here?"

"I don't know, honey. What if Felicity heard us or something?"

"You barely make any sound at all. How would she hear?"

"Will, why are you trying to start a fight with me?" she tried to walk out the door, but he moved in front of her to stop her.

"I just want to know why."

"Because if we stop being together then I don't want a constant reminder of our relationship, or whatever you want to call it. I sleep in this bed every night, you know." she replied with a sigh. "I just don't know what's going on between us and I refuse to set myself up for future pain, honey."

He looked into her emotion filled eyes as neither of them spoke. It wasn't often that Karen let any sort of feeling show and it warmed his heart, even though they were in a sort of confrontation. It also wasn't often that she seemed to think of anything other than sex. It was at that moment that he noticed something that he hadn't noticed all day.

"How long has it been since you've taken any pills?"

"What?"

"Your pupils aren't dilated. You haven't been drinking or taking any pills."

"So what?

"You've been sober all day." She scoffed and rolled her eyes at his insight.

"If you want me drunk then make me a drink, martini with two olives." She crossed her arms over her chest in defiance. He paid no attention to her sarcasm and leaned forward to kiss her.

"I like you when you're like this."

"Like what, honey?"

"Real."


	17. Chapter 17

"How's that?"

"Oh, honey, don't stop." Karen replied as she laid perfectly still on Will's bed. She was on her stomach with only her lacey red panties on her body. Will had bought lavender aromatherapy candles and lit them all over the room while he used a moisturizing lotion to massage her still faintly aching back. He added a little more pressure and heard her breath hitch. "You better be careful with this spoiling stuff. A girl could get used to this."

"Hey, any chance to get you naked is fine with me." He joked, causing her to giggle as well before sighing in satisfaction. He leaned down and kissed the back of her neck, reaching his hand up to her hair to take it down before returning to her massage. He kissed all the way to one side of her neck and back around to the other. They hadn't made love yet. He had surprised her by taking her clothes from her body and giving her a gift.

"I give you permission to find a better place to touch me." She breathed, causing him to chuckle. He slowly ran his hands down to her lower back and around her hips to caress her stomach as he continued kissing her neck and shoulders. He pushed his hands under the line of her panties and began rubbing her with what she could only describe as the most perfect amount of pressure. She sighed and reached down her own body to push her panties down her legs, wanting to be completely free of clothing. He stopped his ministration and rolled her over onto her back. He removed her panties, his boxers as well, before he placed a deep kiss on her lips. He grabbed her wrists and placed her arms above her head.

"Don't move." He whispered against her lips and he kissed her once more before beginning to make his way down her neck. She closed her eyes and absorbed the pleasure of his lips making their way down the center of her cleavage and to her bellybutton. His lotion covered hands were running up and down her inner thighs as his lips played with the soft skin right above her lower hairline.

He had never given a woman oral sex and he wasn't exactly sure what was expected of him. He knew how to make her orgasm with his fingers and assumed that it was a similar task when it came to his tongue. He kissed all the way around her as she arched her back and her heart raced. He spread her legs a little bit further as his lips finally made contact with her utmost source of pleasure.

"Oh!" she whimpered as his tongue flicked over her and made its way straight into her center. He worked as if he were French kissing her lips, softly and slowly making sure that no surface was left untouched. She clinched her fists that were still above her head and bit her bottom lip, stifling a moan, as his tongue moved over her in a figure eight motion. He continued to lick her surface as he slipped two fingers into her body.

She came fast and hard and he continued to work until the waves subsided. She breathed heavily, her chest rising and falling at a rapid pace. He ran his tongue up her body and back up to her trembling lips. He kissed her hard and she could taste herself on his tongue, sending a peculiar jolt of pleasure throughout her system. He kissed down to her ear and began to whisper.

"You're so beautiful." She smiled at his sincere compliment as he ran his hands through her shoulder length hair. He adjusted his position on top of her and completed their full connection. He didn't move for a moment as he slid his hands down her body and began to caress her breasts. She winced in pain and quickly grabbed his hands to make him stop.

"That hurts." She whispered as he looked deep into her eyes, slightly troubled. She removed the minor setback from their minds by wrapping her legs around his waist and bringing him deeper. He pulled out and pushed back into her as she wrapped her arms under his, holding onto his shoulders tightly.

They didn't kiss, didn't bury their faces in each other necks. They made love while looking into each other's passion filled eyes. Their stomachs flexed in harmony and sweat began to form on their bodies. She pulled him deeper into her as he quickened their pace. She dug her fingernails into his shoulders, sending shivers down his spine and he felt himself nearing his climax.

After a few more powerful thrusts she shivered beneath him, almost convulsing at the intensity of her orgasm. He came inside of her and continued to move, changing the pace a little bit to make the pleasure last longer. Finally he collapsed on top of her sweaty body, breathing in the scent of lavender from her lotion.

"I love you, Karen." He whispered into her ear as she held him tightly. She kissed his cheek and hurried to find his lips, tracing his bottom lip with her tongue before pulling away with a perceptible pop. However, she didn't return his sentiment. She felt very strongly for him, but she wasn't sure if she loved him yet and she didn't want to lie.

After a moment of staying connected he reluctantly pulled out of her body. He pecked her lips before rolling over next to her and pulling her close to him. He ran his fingers through her hair for a few minutes, knowing how it relaxed her, and kissed her forehead before getting up and going to the bathroom.

Karen was left alone in his bed, lost in her thoughts. He told her that he loved her and she couldn't have been happier about that. It felt so wonderful to be truly loved. But it wasn't his love for her that was puzzling. She thought back to the time a few minutes earlier when pain shot through her breasts at his touch. It wasn't something that was usual for her, even during her time of the month, when it was usual for other women. She ran her hands over her own breasts and felt the same surge of pain that was present before. Suddenly she became worried. What if something was wrong with her?

"Are you feeling yourself up, Sweetie?" Will asked as he crawled back into bed and pulled her close to him. She shook her head.

"No, I'm just wondering why they hurt so much." She took a deep breath and smiled to him in a sort of apology. He leaned over and gently cupped one of her breasts with his hand, hoping to help ease her worried mind. She bit her bottom lip as he examined her in the best way that he knew how.

"I think they're getting bigger." She scoffed and pushed his hands away.

"I knew I shouldn't have said anything." She sat up on the bed and scooted over to the side to get her clothes. He was quick to move and scooted over to her side as she pulled her panties back on.

"I'm serious, Karen. Don't you notice?"

"No, honey I don't." she replied as she stood from the bed and continued to dress. After successfully hooking her bra Will stopped her movements. He held her by her shoulders and looked at her bra clad chest.

"You're popping out the top." He chuckled before he leaned forward to kiss her.

"Stop laughing, honey, I can't help it. I'm getting fat, okay?"

"You are not getting fat."

"Yes I am. I don't exercise anymore because I'm always in bed with you. You know we do it like fifty times a day." She hurriedly put her pajama pants on.

"That's an overstatement, Karen." He said as he moved close to her and put his arms around her waist. "I think you are beautiful no matter what. I love you." She smiled softly at his response to her slight struggle with self-consciousness. It wasn't often that she worried about how her body looked to others, but since she wasn't drunk all the time she tended to worry a little more.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow, honey." She said as she leaned forward and kissed him deeply. After she pulled away she put her shirt on over her head and walked back to her apartment. She curled up in her bed and tried her hardest to go to sleep. It became increasingly difficult as her thoughts rolled around in her head. She wished that she wasn't so afraid to take her relationship with Will to the next level; she needed the heat of his body sleeping next to her. But that would definitely be considered the next level. She couldn't stay the whole night. Instead of missing his skin against hers she opened up her nightstand and found a sleeping supplement. It would be the first pill that she had taken in three days, but she was thankful for the comfort that it would bring her. Soon she was asleep in her warm bed, dreaming dreams of Will.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Mom, are you alright?" Felicity yelled as she knocked on the bathroom door. After breakfast her mother had run to the bathroom and began to incessantly vomit. "Mom?" She received no reply and quickly fumbled with the handle on the door. It was left unlocked, in Karen's rush to make it in time, and she opened the door. She hurried to her mother who was lying on the cold tile of the bathroom floor.

"I think I need a doctor, honey." She whispered as Felicity wetted a washcloth and wiped her mother's face.

They arrived at the doctor's office about an hour later. Karen wouldn't let her daughter out of her sight. For once in her life she was afraid to be alone. The women were led to a cold room where Karen underwent a physical examination along with a drawing of her blood, which was taken to get tested for various illnesses. She wasn't sure what was wrong, but she had a feeling that it wasn't good. What if she was really sick? What would happen to Felicity or Jack or Grace? What would Will do? She wondered how realistic it would be for her to die. She had finally made it to a place in her life where she was loved and accepted. Why was life always so cruel?


	18. Chapter 18

"You're sick? Karebear, what's wrong?" Jack asked as he sat next to her in front of her television. She was in her pajamas and covered with a thick blanket.

"I don't know, Poodle. The doctor's office is supposed to call me soon. I had some blood work done yesterday and the results should be in. I'm so nervous." She cuddled closer to him as he put his arm around her shoulders, comforting her as they watched an old sitcom that was playing.

"You should have told me sooner. I would have gone with you."

"I know, Poodle, but I didn't want to worry anyone." She had called him a few minutes earlier to come over and give her comfort. She needed her Jackie Bear, her best friend.

"Well, why don't we get Will and Grace over here and we can all be your support?"

"That's sweet, honey, but I don't…"

"Oh, come on, Kare. You need friends around, just in case." He quickly ran out the door and retrieved Will and Grace from their apartment. Soon they were all sitting on her couch watching television, holding each other and awaiting the call. They didn't even ask questions before they agreed to just be with Karen. It was their version of love and support and she definitely felt it.

"I'll get it." Felicity said as she walked out of her room to the ringing telephone. Karen and Will made eye contact with one another and he reached over to grab her hand, knowing how afraid she was of the call. "Mom, it's the doctor's office. They want to talk to you." She stood from the couch and slowly made her way to the telephone. Time froze and she felt as if she would never reach her destination. She finally did reach the phone and took it from her daughter's hands.

"Hello?"

Everyone listened to Karen's conversation, trying hard to figure out what was being said. It was difficult to decipher and their thoughts were traveling all over the place. None of them knew what to expect ever since Karen told them that she might be sick. They knew that if she was worried then it could be something serious. They were all brought out of the daze when they heard the phone being place back onto the receiver. Four sets of eyes were staring at her until she began to speak.

"They, um, got the test results."

"Karebear is everything okay?" Jack asked, in inclusive panic.

"Let me put it this way, kids…Will, you're boys sure do swim fast." She attempted to break the tension with a ridiculous joke, but it was lost on her audience. Nobody found humor in the situation, not even her.

"What are you talking about?" Will asked as he stood from his place on the couch and walked over to where she was standing.

"Honey, I'm pregnant." She responded, looking into his eyes, tears threatening to fall from hers. He took a step closer, in obvious shock, before unexpectedly pulling her into a hug.

"This is great." The others observed them, comforting looks playing with their features. Will felt the tension in Karen's body and he quickly let her go, taking her face in between his hands. "Aren't you happy?"

"No, Will, I don't want a baby."

"Why don't you? We could raise it together, be parents."

"I'm already a parent and I am just fine with where I am. I don't want a baby."

"Well, sweetie, it's a little late for that." They looked at each other, a mixture of anger and compassion in their eyes.

Grace, Jack, and Felicity remained seated on the couch, watching the lovers' quarrel take place in front of them. It was increasingly difficult to watch them argue about a human life, a baby, but they were curious to see how it all played out. Will had always dreamed of being a father and it was easy to tell how happy he was about the prospect of it. But Karen, she was such a mystery in herself that it was hard to tell what the real reason was for her not wanting another child. The heat of the argument picked up and they were soon yelling.

"It's your fault!"

"How the hell is it my fault? You were the one who couldn't keep your legs together! The blame's on you too!" She glowered at him, an exasperated sigh escaping from her lips.

"Maybe you should have kept your dick in your pants!"

"Stop it with that word!"

"I can't have a baby now! Do you know how old I am?"

"No, Karen, I don't! I have no idea how old you are or where you were born or your shoe size! I don't even know what kind of flowers you like! Is your age what bothers you in this situation because obviously you're not too old! What else is there that you aren't telling me?"

"What if…"

"You've done this before!" he interrupted, knowing exactly where her thoughts were headed. He may not know little things about her, but he knew how her head worked.

"Yeah, honey, and look what happened! I didn't see my child for sixteen years! Do you know what that does to a person?"

"I'm just throwing out a guess here, but does it end with making them a sadistic, cold hearted bitch?" He didn't anticipate the slap that she laid across his face. His cheek felt hot as soon as her palm made contact and he took a step back in surprise. She had tears in her eyes and he knew that maybe the remark made in haste and anger could have been just enough to tip the scale.

"You can go fuck yourself. We're done." She whispered through clenched teeth before trying to walk to her bedroom. He grabbed her wrist to apologize, but she pushed his hands away from her.

"Karen, please."

"You're relieved of your obligation. Get out." She responded coldly, knowing that the ice that was dripping from her words hurt him and that knowledge was what helped her hold her head high until she made it behind the closed door of her room. She leaned against the door and slid down to the ground, sobbing hard into her hands, silently. The whole situation may have worked out a lot better if she would have had time to cope with her pregnancy before everybody found out. She could have told them after dealing with it instead of exploding with emotion that came out of nowhere.

"Will, you need to apologize to her." Grace said after Karen's bedroom door was closed behind her.

"You heard her. We're done."

"You need to stop being so stupid." She replied as she stood from the couch, faintly wondering why none of them had left the apartment for their own.

"Grace, just leave it. Maybe this is the way that it was supposed to work out."

"She's pregnant with your child. You have to at least sit down and talk about it without fighting."

"Mind your own business, Grace. I don't see you in a successful relationship."

"Boy, you just don't know when to quit do you?" she whispered before she walked out the door and into her own apartment. Will sighed and put his hands on his hips as Jack gave him a livid look. He stood from his place on the couch as well before going after Grace, knowing that he would be the only comfort that she would get. Felicity and Will were left alone, looking at each other with expectant eyes.

"She's scared, you know." She spoke, effectively breaking the awkward silence.

"I know."

"She loves you, I can tell."

"No offense, but you've known her for like six months." She walked over to him and looked into his eyes, staring him down, clearly having her mother's quick temper.

"I remember her. I may have been two years old when my parents were together, but I remember her face. I will never forget the way she used to look at my dad when they spoke. She was terrified of him all the time and I knew all through my life that she never loved him. But when I see her with you I see a spark in her eyes. Do you even see how happy she is?"

He took a deep breath and sighed, wishing he could take everything that he said back. The last thing that he ever wanted to do was hurt the woman that he was in love with. He didn't mean to yell at her and he sure as hell didn't want to leave it the way that he had. He looked to the ground before finding Felicity's eyes.

"Maybe I should go."

"No. I'm going to go. You're going to sit here and wait for her to stop crying. She'll come out for a bottle of water in a few minutes, pretending that she's fine."

"How do you…"

"Haven't you ever just watched her? She isn't that hard to figure out if you stop talking long enough to pay attention." She replied before she disappeared through the door of the apartment. She went to find Grace and Jack, hoping that they would be up for gossiping.

Will sat on Karen's couch and waited. He wasn't sure of what he was going to say to her, but he knew that they had too good of a thing going to just give up. He tapped his foot as he impatiently awaited her emergence from the room. He had the image in his head that she would rush into his arms and they would be fine again. She would come over to his apartment that evening and they would make love for hours. Sadly, he was positive that his vision was just that, a vision.

He stood from the couch and walked over to her refrigerator to get a bottle of water. He picked up a flower out of a vase that he had given her the day before and walked towards her door. He put the water bottle under his arm and picked up a box of tissues as he held the flower out in his hand.

Karen was sleepily lying on her bedroom floor, taking deep breaths to help her calm herself. She was pregnant, with child, knocked up. She wasn't sure if she could handle it again and that thought scared her more than she would ever admit. She sat up and wiped her face. Her head hurt and her throat was dry from crying so hard. It only took her a moment to get to her feet before she opened the door to get some water.

Karen began to walk out of the room, but stopped abruptly when she came to face a rose. The sweet scent invaded her nose as she took the rose and looked up into Will's eyes. He had an apologetic look on his face and a tissue in his hand. He slowly brought the small cloth up to her face and wiped her cheeks. He put it in his pocket before opening the bottle of water and handing it to her. She brought it to her lips and drained a small amount of the liquid. After he sat the bottle on the table he found her hazel eyes once again.

Neither of them spoke. It was hard enough to swallow their pride and apologize, but it was another thing to be the first one to break a silence. He leaned forward, slowly, and placed his lips upon her bottom lip. They continued to maintain eye contact throughout the caring kiss and his hand found its way to her hip.

The rose was dropped to the floor as her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him close to her body. She deepened the kiss and held him as tightly as she could while her tears began to fall once again. He broke their connection and held her close, their foreheads touching.

"Karen, I'm so sorry about what I said." She took a deep breath before pulling back from him. She looked at his cheek and found a small bruise where her hand had made contact with his face just moments earlier. She brought the same hand to the place where she had struck him and caressed his mark.

"I'm sorry too, honey. I didn't mean it. I just don't know what to think right now."

"Think about raising a baby with me."

"Well, honey, it's a little late to say no." she sighed, hoping to lighten the mood that had been created. "Besides, I'll do whatever you want."

"Sweetie, what do _you_ want?"

"Right now, I just want you to hold me and tell me that everything's going to be okay." He nodded and embraced her, picking her up from the ground. He carried her into her room and pulled back the covers before helping her into the bed. He only hesitated for a moment before following her under the blanket. She laid her head on his chest and fiddled with the hem on his shirt sleeve. He took vague note that it was the first time that she had ever wanted him in her bed. Her sheets were so soft on his flesh, softer than his own. "Will…" she began before abruptly stopping, weighing the words that would soon pass through her lips.

"What is it sweetie?"

"I love you."


	19. Chapter 19

"Hey Grace." Felicity walked in to Grace Adler Designs the next morning and took a seat at her desk, next to her mother's. Grace smiled a greeting and picked up a few things that needed to be faxed. She laid them on the young woman's desk and looked at her.

"Is your mom coming in today?"

"She said she was going to try to come in around noon, but I don't know. She was throwing up when I left." She chuckled to herself at the memory. She found it very amusing to see her mother, a strong and independent woman, taken down by a thing such as pregnancy. However, she was very excited for there to be a baby around. She loved babies and it thrilled her to have a little sibling.

"Do you think she forgives me?" Grace asked, oddly out of the blue. She seemed afraid of the answer and it was difficult to determine where the question was coming from.

"Forgives you for what?"

"For being such a bitch to her after I found out about Will. Do you think she's over all the things that I said?"

"Grace, why don't you talk to her? I'm here as an assistant, not someone to relay information between you and your friends."

Grace was taken aback, once again, by the boldness of the young woman. It had been increasingly difficult for her to talk to Karen since she went crazy on her. They hadn't taken the time to talk about it afterwards and the situation had just been painted over, temporarily pushed aside.

But Grace was missing her best gal pal. It wasn't the same to talk to Will or Jack about things. They never gave her honest, truthful answers to her problems. Karen always did and even though it was usually blatantly blunt, the answer always seemed to help in some way. She needed her more than she wanted to believe. She needed her best friend.

Almost an hour later, just as her thoughts were spinning in her head, coming back around to the very beginning of the process, Karen walked through the door. She was glowing in a beautiful, tight, black dress that hugged every curve of her body. She looked stunning and it was impossible to tell that she was pregnant. Grace assumed that that was the way that she wanted it. She wasn't comfortable with the idea of pregnancy yet and she wanted to stay thin for as long as she could.

"Hey ladies, what's going on? Oh, Grace, honey, that fabric makes me want to take the day off. You look like you just jumped out of a JC Penny catalogue." She said as she sat her purse by her chair and walked over to the redhead.

"Thanks Kare. You always know what to say." She rolled her eyes and smiled. It was Karen's first snappy comment about her wardrobe since their small argument.

"What are you smiling at me for?"

"I was just thinking. You look really pretty today." Karen looked at her and gasped.

"Are you trying to sweet talk your way into my pants? Guess what, I'm not interested. Though you do have soft lips." She walked over to her desk and took a seat, picking up a nail file to begin her manicure. It was like nothing had ever happened between them.

"Yeah, you know me."

"What the hell kind of an answer was that? Don't you usually make a comment about pharmaceuticals and my lack of control around alcohol? What's wrong with you, honey?"

"Nothing's wrong. I just wasn't ready for anything." She looked over at her assistant and shrugged. They sat in silence for a moment, unsure of what to say. It was so awkward to be sitting across from each other and telling jokes when there was a serious conversation that needed to be had.

"Mom, Grace doesn't know how to talk to you because she doesn't know if you've forgiven her for being a heartless bitch. Grace, Mom is sitting there trying to pretend that everything is normal so you two don't have to talk about it." Felicity stood from her desk and grabbed her purse. "I have a job interview a few blocks over so I'll be back around one thirty. Have fun." She walked over and kissed her mother's cheek before walking out the door to her meeting, leaving the two women speechless.

"Actually, honey, I did want to talk to you about something." Karen walked over to Grace's desk and looked her in the eyes. "I know that it was a long time ago, but I just wanted to apologize for not telling you when Will and I first got together. I just didn't want you to find out before Stan did and…"

"I don't want to fight, Karen, but I need some answers before we can be fine again. Will you please just answer me honestly?" Karen nodded and took her hands, silently letting her know that it was okay to ask. "What happened with Stan? How did he take the news?" Karen sighed and began to speak.

"He came home from his business trip early to make sure that I was alright. He took me out to dinner and we got along fine until we were together for too long, that's what always happened between us. We were fine until we actually had to spend time together, then we just fought. I told him that I wanted a divorce and that I had had sex with someone. He agreed to the divorce and made sure that I got enough money to support me for the rest of my life. Is that a good enough explanation for you, honey?"

"I thought you loved him."

"I did love him at one point in time, but things change. We grew apart."

"What's going to happen when you and Will change? Are you going to screw around on him too? Is the baby even his?"

"Honey, I love Will. I honestly don't think that I can live without him." She smiled to herself at the thought of never having to be alone again. "I've never felt this way about anyone, not even Stanley. I could never hurt him the way that you think I will, Gracie."

Grace weighed the statement in her head for a moment, leaving Karen to stare at her in confusion. It was rare that they could have a conversation that was true to both of their hearts and it happened with an odd sort of ease. She looked into her best friend's hazel eyes and noticed how honest and true that they were. It was like she was a completely different person.

"I'm so sorry for how I've been. Please forgive me." Grace began to cry and Karen hurriedly pulled her into an embrace.

"Oh, honey, forgiven and forgotten." The women hugged for a moment before Grace pulled away and smiled through her tears. Karen put her forefinger under her chin and pulled her face close for a peck on the lips.

"Are you trying to sweet talk your way into my pants?" The two women laughed together for the first time in months.

"No, honey, if I were trying to get into your pants then I'd start off with something like this." She took Grace's face between her hands and kissed her hard on the mouth. It was a moment before they broke apart and Karen smiled.

"God, Karen, I've missed you."


	20. Chapter 20

Karen walked into Will and Grace's apartment for dinner on a warm evening. Felicity was out at a concert with a few friends that she had made and wouldn't be back until the next morning. The four friends decided that they would have dinner together, just the four of them, for old times sake. With their busy lives and schedules finally slowing down they could finally get back to their normal lives and friendships.

"Karebear!" an excited Jack squealed as he flounced over to her and kissed her lips in greeting.

"Hi, Poodle. You look handsome, honey. Are you wearing makeup?"

"Just a touch." He replied as he fluttered his eyelashes and pulled her over to the table where everyone else was seated. Karen smiled and blew a kiss at Will as she took her seat across from him. "So, I think I should tell you all about this guy I met at Bed, Bath, and Beyond the other day. He is so cute and I think I'm going to spend the rest of my life with him…"

The group of friends listened as intently as they could to the impossible-to-follow story that Jack was telling. They were happy that life was normal. Normalcy was such a rarity that was too often taken advantage of.

Dinner had gone by in a swivel of happiness and excitement. Jack had a date afterwards and decided that he would go, leaving Will, Grace, and Karen alone in the apartment. Will was seated on the couch with Karen's head in his lap. He was running his fingers through her shoulder length hair, watching her eyes begin to flutter closed. Grace was sitting in front of the couch on the floor, going through some photographs of the four friends from over the years. She would occasionally hold one up so that the two on the couch could see, but she was basically lost in her own world.

"I think I'm going to head home, kids. Goodnight Gracie." Karen stood from the couch and began to walk towards the door. "Will, honey, can I talk to you in the hallway?"

"Sure." He replied as he followed her through the door. As soon as the door was closed behind them Karen pulled him into a heated kiss. She ran her hands through his hair as his traveled down the back of her body, holding her tightly. Their tongues tapped and she sighed into his mouth as she backed him up against the wall, her knee finding its way in between his legs to caress his inner thigh. She broke the kiss, biting his bottom lip as she pulled away.

"I want you." He whispered as his fingers fiddled with the tie of her dress. She pressed her pelvis against his and felt him growing hard at the contact.

"So take me." Her reply was uttered in a tempting tone that she rarely ever found when she was sober and if he weren't so turned on by her words then he may have laughed. Instead of making a joke, he forced his tongue in between her lips and pushed her towards her apartment. She opened the door with her hand behind her back and pulled him with her until the door was closed. He lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his waist, grinding her pelvis into him as they continued their lip lock. He made his way towards her bedroom, but stopped before he walked through the door. He then pushed her into the wall and she kicked her shoes off onto the floor.

"In your bed?" he asked as he kissed her neck, biting the soft flesh.

"Yeah." She said in a breathy whisper. The one word was all it took for him to pull her from the wall and rush into her bedroom. He quickly pulled her dress from her body, forgetting many of the buttons in his rush. She slid his pants down his legs at the same time that he pulled his shirt off over his head. He unclasped her bra and she tossed it out of the way. Before he lay her down underneath him on the soft mattress of her bed

She sighed into his kiss as his hands roamed over her breasts, gently so as not to hurt her. He pulled her thong from her body and threw it to the floor before he brought his hand to rest in between her legs, rubbing her with a jolting pace. She gasped in surprise and he felt her body soften as his hand continued to move and he smiled into her neck, fully loving the fact that he could make her melt.

His hand was stopped by hers and she tried to push his boxers down his legs. He helped her take them off and quickly mounted her once again licking her bottom lip before invading her mouth. He shoved into her body, hard enough to elicit a sound from her throat; a sound that he loved. He put his hands behind her thighs and pushed her knees nearer to her stomach, allowing for a deeper penetration, as he began to thrust in and out of her body.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close. She lived for the feeling of his warm skin against hers as they moved in unison, a rhythm that she could never find with anyone else. It was almost magical and it felt so right to be with him, underneath him, on top of him, consumed by him.

A perception of warmth began to build in her stomach and she knew that she was getting closer. He could feel it as well and drove harder into her. His lips found her throat and he began to kiss her wherever his mouth would reach, feeling her skin tingle at his touch.

Her orgasm hit her easily, spreading a warm sensation from her center all the way down to her toes. She held him tighter to her, if it were even possible, and quietly sighed. He released her legs from his strong grip and she quickly wrapped them around his waist, pulling him deeper as well as closer. He roughly tugged at her hair as he took her lips with his in another sensual kiss.

She wanted to become one, a single entity with him. Being separate after the fact was too much to handle and she wanted to feel as if they never had to stop. She ran her fingernails up and down his glistening back and felt the goose bumps rise beneath her hands. He focused on every part of their body that was rubbing against another, his thighs on her lower region and his chest against her breasts.

He stopped his movement, all of a sudden, when he felt her walls beginning to tighten again. He didn't want the moment to end. She clung to him, her breathing so heavy that she was seeing stars in the corners of her eyes. She swallowed hard, desperately awaiting the mere second when he would push her over the edge.

Finally he pulled out and thrust into her with more force than he had used before the motion ceased. She sighed and moved her hips to meet his friction, pulling him deep with her legs. Another orgasm spread throughout her body, gently grazing against her soul, and she convulsed underneath the weight of his muscle and flesh. He thrust into her once more and exploded, a fire of passion erupting from within.

He collapsed on top of her after the waves of satisfaction had finished with them. Sweat was pouring from every outlet on their skin as he lazily kissed her neck. She continued to hold him close, loving the feeling of him so near to her body and her heart. He began to pull out, but she wouldn't let him.

"I love you so much, Will." She whispered into his ear as she kissed his cheek and took in his scent. She rolled them over, maintaining their connection, and lay on his chest. "Stay inside of me. Please." He obeyed and wrapped her in a hug, kissing the top of her head.

"Why?" he whispered, hoping not to break the sweetness of the situation with questions. She only smiled and moved to look into his eyes.

"When I start showing then we won't be able to stay this close. I don't want to take it for granted, honey." He chuckled at her sincerity and shifted position to make them both more comfortable.

They lay in each other's arms for what seemed like an eternity before she finally allowed him to pull out of her body. She rolled off of him and he quickly pulled her to his side. His fingers traced circles on her arm that draped over his middle as she took a deep breath and began to speak.

"You know that it's yours, right? I don't sleep around." Her voice sounded soft and insecure.

"I have no doubt, sweetie. Why would you even say that?" she shrugged.

"It was just something that Gracie said a while ago. But, honey, I haven't had sex with anyone else since that first time with you, not even Stan." She leaned up on her elbow to look into his eyes, pleading for him to believe her.

"Karen, I know that you don't sleep around. I know you and I trust you with my life. I love you." A few moments passed before she spoke again, a burning question in her mind.

"Am I the only one you've been with since then?" he sighed and sat up to mirror her position next to him.

"I thought that I was gay. After the first time that we were together I got really confused so I went to a bar with Jack and I slept with a guy that I met. It meant nothing. I just wanted to know that I was still gay"

"What did you find out, honey?"

"I found out that all I wanted was you."

She leaned forward and kissed him deeply. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pushed him down on his back so that she could lie on top of him. Her lips made their way to his throat before trailing down his chest. She stopped at his bellybutton and worked her way back up to his neck, feeling his reaction to her soft skin. She pulled herself up until she was face to face with him and smiled.

"Let's go again."


	21. Chapter 21

"I'm so excited Karebear!" Jack giggled as they walked out of the doctor's office. Karen had hit her three month mark of pregnancy and Jack had accompanied her to her second doctor's appointment. "We should celebrate! What do you feel like buying?" she laughed and took his hand as they walked down the sidewalk.

"I don't know, honey. We can eat Chinese."

"Okay. I likes me some orange chicken." He replied and pulled her faster down the sidewalk. They arrived at a small restaurant and ordered from the menu. Jack sat smiling at Karen for a moment before she gave him a look.

"What?"

"I'm just wondering what happened to you."

"Poodle, what are you talking about? I'm fine." She was startled by his inquiry. He hadn't ever been one to ask a meaningful question in public so it came as a shock when he did.

"I know you're fine, but I mean with your past. What happened with your mom and how did you end up divorced and stuff like that?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Well, I was talking to Will and he said that you told him all about your life and everything. Why haven't you told me?" he had a sadness in his eyes and she immediately felt regretful for never completely opening up to him. She reached across the small table and laid her hand on his.

"Jack, I don't mean to shut people out. It's just the way that I am."

"But we're friends. I'll keep your secrets. I love you, Karebear."

Karen smiled at the man sitting across from her and squeezed his hand tighter with her own. He was sweet and caring when he was with her and she felt a warmth envelope her heart. He broke the eye contact that they had maintained up until that point and shrugged, obviously embarrassed by his sentiment.

"I love you too, Poodle." His eyes met back up with hers and the corners of his mouth turned upward. "What do you want to know?"

"How old are you?" he asked, testing her with a question that he knew that she didn't want to answer. She only laughed.

"You get right to the point don't you?" her laughter subsided and she cleared her voice. "I'm forty-one. I had Felicity when I was twenty-three."

Jack began asking her questions about her life and she answered them truthfully. If he had known that all he had to do was ask then he would have been able to put his curiosities to rest a long time ago. But he somehow felt that she would have left some parts out before she met Will. He had changed the way that she felt about certain things. He had made her more normal and Jack knew that she was finally happy.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Felicity and Karen had stayed home one evening and decided that it would be a mother-daughter night. Ever since the young woman had landed a new job they had hardly spent any time together. So they set the night aside and watched movies.

"So have you talked to John since your date the other night?" Karen asked as she finished painting her daughter's toenails. The girl smiled and giggled like a child.

"He came to visit me at work today. I walked into my cubicle and it was filled with roses. I couldn't even find my chair."

"Aw, honey, that's so sweet. Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I don't know, but I really like him. It's like we've known each other forever."

The women continued to giggle and talk about the younger one's love life for a little while until Grace burst through the door of their apartment. She had an indelible smile on her face that could brighten up the cloudiest sky. Karen smiled back at her friend before asking what she thought was a much needed question.

"Who put the smile in your pants, honey?"

"I got married!"

"What?"

"Nathan and I got married!" Karen stood from the couch and walked over to her overly excited friend.

"When did this happen?"

"Okay, Kare, you can stop with the eyes of judgment. We were coming back from his parents' house and we saw a little chapel on the side of the road. He asked me if I wanted to marry him and I said yes. Isn't that spontaneous? Oh, it was so romantic."

"Honey, I don't think you're using that word the right way. Romantic is when a guy fills your work cubicle up with roses. You've only been dating him for like three months." Grace pulled her hand out of Karen's.

"Look, I know that you're trying to be the voice of reason here, but I'm so happy. I love him and we're married and I'm moving my stuff into his place tonight."

"But, honey, this is really soon. You know that relationships typically don't last when you rush into things."

"You fucked Will after being with him for a weekend. Are you two going to last?"

"Damn it, Grace, stop it."

"Just let me be happy and be happy for me. Please. If we start having problems then I'll let you say that you told me so." Karen cocked her head to the side and looked at Grace, the happiness filling her eyes. She smiled and pulled her friend into a hug.

"Congratulations honey."

"Thank you." She pulled away from the hug and giggled. "Now, I need a few people to help me carry boxes so you two should get some shoes on or something." She pecked Karen's lips before she ran out of the apartment and back to Will's to begin packing. Karen and Felicity were left wondering how they got roped into helping.

"Well, so much for tonight being all about us." Felicity joked as she walked into her bedroom to grab a pair of shoes. Karen giggled and went to her own room to do the same. Grace's marriage may not have been completely supported by her friends, but they all hoped that she was doing the right thing.

----------

"Karen, put that box down!" Will rushed over to her and pushed a box of clothes from her arms, causing her to gasp in surprise and jump backwards.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" She chastised as she bent down to refold some of the articles of clothing that had fallen from the box. He leaned down as well and pulled the clothing from her hands. She tried to snatch them back, but he wouldn't let her have them. "Will, let go."

"You should be sitting down or something. You don't need to be lifting things."

"Why not?"

"What about the baby?"

"Honey, I'm three months pregnant. I think I can lift a box of clothes." She tossed the remainder of the clothes back into the box and tried lift it again only for Will to pull it from her hands.

"Why don't you go and fill another box with her shoes or something?"

"You mean, do women's work. I can't believe you're sexist." She joked as she grabbed the box, but he still wouldn't give up. He held on just as tightly and they were soon in a tug of war for a small box of clothing, neither of them realizing how outlandish they were acting. "Let go!"

"No! You need to take better care of yourself!"

"Fuck off!"

"You fuck off!" Jack rushed into the apartment and ripped the box from the hands of his best friends. They turned their angry looks towards him and he returned the look.

"Why don't you both fuck off? Grace needs our help, not your bickering." The lovers caught their breath for a moment, taking in the childishness of their actions. They were uncertain as to why they always chose to fight instead of talk about their concerns. "Stop acting like children and start acting like you're having one." Jack walked out of the room with the object of their argument, leaving them to feel ashamed.

"Karen, I just think that you should slow down."

"Honey, don't you think I would know if I needed to slow down?" He looked down to his feet and shrugged.

"I just don't want you to risk anything. It's still early, what if something happens?"

"Will, I know that you're worried." She began as she stepped forward and placed her hand on his cheek. "But, honey, we will never be able to do this if you start hovering over me like you just were. I know when I'm fine and when I'm putting myself at risk, okay?"

"I'm sorry, but I really think that you need to take it slow. I've been reading this book and it says that the first few months are risky for women your age. I just don't want you to overdo anything, sweetie."

"Then talk to me about it instead of snatching things out of my hands."

"I'm sorry." He sighed and pecked her lips, lingering only for a moment. He held her tight to him once they broke the kiss and embraced her. "What's so funny?" he asked when he felt her begin to shake with laughter.

"Honey, are you really reading a baby book?"


	22. Chapter 22

"Kare, take me to lunch. I'm feeling like a celebrating with a Caesar salad with a side of thousand dollar shopping." Jack said as he walked into Grace's office and over to Karen's desk.

"Okay, Poodle, I'll take you to lunch. What's the occasion?"

"Well, your fourth month of being knocked up of course. The mark is tomorrow." She giggled at his awareness and stood from her chair to get her purse off of the coat rack. "Can I touch it?" He asked once she realized that he was really close to her.

"You want to touch my stomach? No, honey, I don't do that." Grace began laughing from behind the two, causing Jack to smile and prance over to her.

"What's up Grace? You look like you have some gossip."

"Well it's not really gossip, but it's hilarious." She laughed some more and Karen ran over to take Jack's hand and began pulling him towards the door.

"It's really not that funny, Poodle. Let's go to lunch." She said as she tried to get Jack to follow her. He resisted and Grace let out her funny story.

"Karen bent over earlier and busted the button off of her pants." She laughed, Karen's mouth dropped open and she hurriedly tried to deny, but Grace rushed to finish. "That's why she won't let you touch her stomach. She's gaining baby weight." She finished in a sing-a-song voice. Jack giggled and poked Karen's side. She slapped him away and began walking towards the door, a pout on her lips.

"Karebear, come back. We were just teasing." Jack consoled as he ran after her, leaving Grace in her own moment of laughter. "I'm sorry, Kare." He had finally chased her into the elevator and cornered her.

"It's fine. Just take my charge card and I'll be at home if you need me."

"No, I want you to come with me. We were just joking."

"Poodle, I'm fat. What kind of man wants a fat woman? Will isn't even generally attracted to women. What happens when I disgust him?" He grabbed her shoulders and held her tight, silencing her.

"First of all, you're not ever going to be fat. You're just pregnant. And second, Will is not attracted to you for your body. I've heard him ooh and ah over you and even though he loves your body that is not what he cares about. Just lighten up, Kare. We expect you to get bigger. But that's fun because we get to buy a whole new dresser of clothes." She weighed his statement in her head for a moment and realized how right he was. She knew that her fears were silly anyways, but hearing somebody else say it was reassuring. She shrugged.

"Let's go shopping then. I need a new pair of pants."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Karen, sweetie, what are you doing here?" Will asked as Karen walked into his office. It was almost nine o'clock and he was stuck in the office working on a case for a big name client. She decided that she would go and visit him.

"Jackie told me that you were working late so I thought I'd bring you some dinner. I know how you don't eat when you get on a roll." She sat a bag of Chinese food down on his desk and leaned over it to kiss him. He accepted the distraction and smiled when she began taking things out of the bag.

"You and your Chinese food, aren't you sick of it yet?" He laughed at the fact that she was a constant customer at the new restaurant that Jack had introduced her to.

"Never, honey." She giggled and handed him some chopsticks. "I think it has something to do with the growing human inside of me. You know, hormones and cravings and all that stuff." She took a bite of her noodles and winked at him. "So, how long are you going to have to be here?"

"I don't know. Every time I think I'm almost finished I find something else that was missed."

"When's the case?"

"Tomorrow morning." He sighed as he ran his hand over his tired face. His eyes were red and his hair tousled.

"Honey, maybe you should go home and get a good night sleep. You'll never be able to function if you don't sleep."

"I know, but I really need to look over these papers some more. I can't screw this up or this guy could lose a serious amount of money…and I could lose my job. It's crucial."

"I should go then. I don't want to distract you." She said while she began gathering her half of the food cartons. She walked around the desk and wrapped her arms around his neck as she captured his lips in a tender kiss. He brushed his tongue over her lips before she pulled back. "You know, honey, spending the night with me might calm you down."

"I don't know, sweetie. This case is really rough on me." She smirked and leaned down to nibble on his earlobe.

"I can be rough on you too." She whispered in a breathy voice, tickling his ear. She kissed his neck until she felt him laughing against her. She quickly pulled back. "What's funny?"

"You're funny." He continued to laugh as she feigned a hurt expression. "Do you really think that that was sexy?"

"You know if you were a businessman from an upper class society then that would have been all it took to get you hard." He laughed and pulled her close so he could hug her around her middle, his face pressed to her stomach.

"Sweetie, all it takes to make me hard is one look at you." He ran his hands over her buttocks and squeezed.

"Well, save it for later, honey. This case is really rough on you." She leaned down and kissed his lips before she walked over and picked her purse up out of a chair. They said goodbye after agreeing that he would spend the night with her after finishing his paperwork. A night spent making passionate love to one another in the dimness of her warm bedroom. He won the case.


	23. Chapter 23

"I love you." Karen whispered as she lay on top of Will, her growing stomach tight against his. She kissed his neck as his hands traveled down her backside and rested on her thighs, caressing her soft skin.

"I love you too." The breeze from the air conditioner suddenly rushed over their naked bodies, the covers having been pushed aside in the midst of pleasure, and they shivered simultaneously. He pulled himself out of her and rolled over until he lay on top of her, holding himself up so he wouldn't crush the baby. She smiled and leaned up to place a soft kiss on his lips. All of a sudden they both jumped at an odd pressure in between them. "What the hell was that?"

"The baby's moving." She ran her hand down the side of her stomach and they flinched again when the pressure became known once more.

"Oh my gosh." He sat up so he could feel it with his hands. As if on cue the baby kicked again. "Have you ever felt anything like that?" she only giggled.

"Yeah, honey, the last time I was pregnant." He rolled his eyes at her response and felt around her belly some more. He leaned down and kissed her stomach, her eyes following his every move. She was touched by his beautiful gestures, never before having a man love the fact that she was carrying his child. It made her feel warm inside. "Are you happy?" his head jolted up and he looked her straight in the eyes.

"I'm happier than I've ever been. Why would you ask me that?"

"I don't know, honey. It's just that…you're attracted to men, but you knocked me up and I just don't want you to feel like I'm tying you down."

"I love you more than anything. As far as I'm concerned, I'm going to spend the rest of my life loving you." He kissed her lips and pushed some hair behind her ear. "Aren't you happy?"

"Oh, honey, of course I am." She quickly admitted, letting him know that he had nothing to worry about. She smiled and pecked his lips before standing from the bed and putting on her panties.

"Where are you going?" he asked as she clasped her bra behind her back and put his shirt on over her head.

"I'm starving. Do you have any of that leftover Chinese food in your refrigerator?" He laughed and nodded his head. She walked over to the door and smiled. "I'll be back, honey." She walked out of his bedroom and to the kitchen, thinking about the leftover bourbon chicken that was still in a takeout carrier in the fridge. She had just eaten her first piece when the doorknob began to jiggle. She stopped her movement by the dining room table and watched as the lock began to turn in front of her.

Will's mother appeared in the doorway, not noticing Karen, and closed the door. She turned around and let out a small gasp when she finally noticed the small brunette eating leftover Chinese in her son's apartment. Karen waved innocently as she finished chewing the piece of chicken that was in her mouth.

"Karen, what are you doing here?"

"I was in bed." She was embarrassed for having not spoken to Will's parents since he had told them about their relationship. She was even more embarrassed that she was standing half naked in front of his mother at ten o'clock in the evening.

"Where are your pants? And are you pregnant?" Marilyn walked over to her and put a hand on her stomach, causing her to flinch in confusion.

"Didn't Will tell you?"

"Tell me what? And why are you sleeping here?" Both women stood in shock, looking each other up and down until Will walked out of his bedroom in only his boxers.

"Mom, what are you doing here?"

"I was just coming over to tell you something. William, for goodness sake, put some pants on. I can see it." She averted her eyes and he quickly walked back into his room for a pair of pajama pants. Silence filled the air as they awaited the return of Will, who needed to explain, fast.

"Mrs. Truman I thought that he'd at least called you." Karen began but stopped when Marilyn's hand rose into the air to silence her.

"Is that my grandchild?" She whispered, barely audible. Karen nodded and Marilyn reached forward to place both of her hands around her stomach, feeling every inch of the bump. Karen just stood still, watching in confusion as she tried to read the woman's reaction. Will walked out of his room and watched as his mother ran her hands over his unborn child, finally becoming noticeable.

"Mom, I tried to tell you so many times." He said as he walked over to stand beside them. "I just didn't know how you'd react."

"Well, I should go. I'm obviously intruding on whatever was going on." She began to walk towards the door, but only made it as far as the couch before Will grabbed her hand to stop her.

"Mom, please let me explain."

"Are you two in love?" They nodded in response to her question as she was still taking in the situation.

Karen listened as Will told his mother their story. He told her virtually everything, even the fact that they had consummated the beginning of a relationship in the back of her limo before she was even divorced. Heat of shame rose to her cheeks and she took another bite of her chicken. She wished that she had been paying closer attention to the conversation in front of her when both Will and his mother turned their gazes to her.

"How serious are you about my son? Are you going to end up hurting him?"

"I could never do that, Mrs. Truman. I want to spend the rest of my life with him." She responded sincerely. Marilyn walked over to Karen and enveloped her in a hug, taking the small brunette by surprise.

"Well then, I'm happy for you." Will was almost certain that his mother would make a bigger deal out of the whole situation than she had. It was almost like she had expected something of the sort. He was confused as to why she was so calm about everything. And then it hit him. She had a bigger problem.

"Mom, what's wrong? Did something happen?" He asked as he reached over and put a hand on her shoulder. She sighed and faintly smiled.

"Your father and I are getting a divorce and he's marrying his mistress." He sighed, knowing for a while that the divorce was coming.

"Do you need a place to stay?"

"I'd hate to impose on you two."

"Oh, no, Karen doesn't live here. She lives next door." Karen nodded as she handed the distressed woman a glass of wine, knowing that she was in desperate need. "You can stay in Grace's old room. And I won't take no for an answer."


	24. Chapter 24

"I can't believe that you agreed to go shopping for maternity clothes with his mom." Felicity laughed as Karen sucked in her stomach to zip her skirt.

"I know, honey, but she's going through a divorce and she really wanted to take me. Ugh, I'm so fucking fat." She groaned as she jumped up and down, still attempting to zip the skirt.

"No, that skirt is just meant to be skin tight. Here try this." She threw another skirt to her mother, catching the one that was previously being stretched and walked over to help her zip the looser fitting article of clothing.

"Thanks honey."

"You're nervous." She smiled in a teasing manner. She was amused because she had never seen Karen acting nervous. She found it comforting to know that her mother could show real human emotion, she wondered whether or not she could sometimes.

"I'm just waiting for her to judge me. I mean, Will has only introduced them to a couple of boyfriends and I don't want her to hate me."

"She already knows you."

"No, honey, she knows the woman who challenged her to drinking contests and stole her husband's pain medication out of their medicine cabinet. She doesn't really know _me_ and I'm afraid that she won't like it." Karen's voice rushed from her and she had to stop herself so she could control her breathing.

"Mom, this gives you the chance to show her that you're real. Talk to her about your life. Tell her some of the things that you've only told Will and me. She seems nice and if she wants to get to know you then I think you should just calm down and be yourself. You're not that bad when you take down that ridiculous wall that you've built." She turned her stunned mother towards the door and gave her a little shove in the right direction. "Just don't tell her stuff like your sexual history. Even I can't stomach that and I already love you."

"Thank you." Karen spoke, blank, but full of meaning. Felicity hugged her and kissed her cheek.

"Just don't hurt her."

----------

"Oh, Karen, you should try this one on. The color would go great with your skin and the design comes down enough that your bottom wouldn't look so fat…due to pregnancy of course." Karen's eyes widened as the woman held a hideous lime green maternity top up to her body. She wanted to cringe and make jokes about the shirt, but quickly remembered her manners and held her comments back.

"Actually, I kind of like this lavender one." She pointed to a shirt that would look perfect on her body, pregnant or not.

"You can't wear something that's that low cut. You're going to be a mother, for goodness sakes."

"Marilyn I'm already a mother. And just because I'm a mother doesn't mean that I should stop dressing like a woman."

"You mean a whore."

"I mean a woman." She clarified as she grabbed Marilyn's hand and pulled her over to a section of clothing that was in her size. She pulled a beautiful dress off of a rack that would hug every inch of any woman's body, hiding flaws and accentuating curves. She held it up to Marilyn's body and turned her to look into a mirror. "You're a woman. Why can't _you_ wear something like this?"

"Karen, don't be foolish. I can't wear things that…I'm too old to be…" she grappled for words. Karen was fast to aide her in her loss of vocabulary.

"Sexual?"

"Shh." She quickly put her hand over Karen's mouth. "You're voice carries like a fog horn. Keep it down."

"I'll keep quiet if you try this dress on." She bargained. "You're never too old to feel good about yourself." Marilyn narrowed her eyes at the woman who had taken her son's heart and thought about what she was saying. She grabbed the dress from Karen's hands.

"You are going to get me into so much trouble."

"Maybe, but my goal is to get you a man." She smiled and took her newfound friend's arm as they walked towards a dressing room.


	25. Chapter 25

"You whored up my mom." Will whined after his mother had left for her date, wearing the dress that Karen had insisted that she buy. Karen, who was curled up on his couch, only laughed at him. "This isn't funny. She was dressed like…you." She feigned an appalled expression.

"So I dress like a whore?"

"No, it's just that it's okay for you to dress the way you do because you're different."

"Honey, deep down we all just want to feel good about ourselves. Your mom has always looked uncomfortable to me. I thought that it was time to liven it up a bit." He sat down on the couch and put his arm around her, cuddling her close to him. He understood what she was saying, but it felt odd to see his mother the way that he had, going on a date and in a little black dress.

"But she's my mom." She giggled and leaned up to kiss his lips.

"I think she looked beautiful, honey."

"I think you look beautiful." She smiled, noting that he always seemed to think that she was at her most beautiful when she was in a pair of sweatpants and a tank top. He placed his lips to hers and quickly deepened their kiss as she traced shapes with her fingers on his cheek. Jack, Grace and Nathan walked through the door and stopped in their tracks at the sight of the lovers, making out on the couch. Their presence wasn't known so they just continued to watch. All of a sudden Grace couldn't take the sight anymore and she cleared her voice. Karen and Will jumped apart and looked towards their audience, slightly embarrassed.

"We were just coming over to find out who whored up Marilyn. I guess it was you, Karebear." Jack said as he walked over to the kitchen to get a bottle of water out of the refrigerator. Nathan took a seat on the couch, putting his feet up on the coffee table, and began flipping through one of Karen's fashion magazines. Grace, however, couldn't bring herself to move. She had never seen a display of Will and Karen's relationship and she took it harder than she thought that she would. She felt jealous, even though she was long since over Will.

"Honey, are you okay?" Karen asked when she noticed that Grace hadn't moved. "You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

"I'm fine." She responded, blankly, before she walked over to the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

"What's wrong with her?" Will asked as he turned to Nathan. He got up to begin making dinner while he awaited Nathan's reply.

"She was fine on the way up here." He continued to look through the magazine, not at all phased by his wife's strange attitude. It was when Jack gave his own explanation of the situation that they were all brought out of inquiry.

"She's probably just freaked out about seeing you two making out like drunken straight girls. It even made me a little queasy." Jack sat at the kitchen table and waited for his meal.

"Poodle, that's ridiculous. I'm sure that that's not it."

"I vote you ask her, Karen." Nathan said as he sat the magazine down and made his way over to the table to sit across from Jack.

"Why do I have to find out? You're her husband."

"You're her girlfriend."

"No, Will's her girlfriend."

"Not since he sleeps with you." The argument ended quickly when Karen sighed and gave up. She walked to the bathroom and knocked on the door.

"Gracie, can I talk to you?" The doorknob turned and she made her way inside before locking the door behind her. The three men hurriedly ran over to the door to listen to the conversation, curiosity taking over their minds. "What's wrong with you, honey? Are you crying?"

"I'm just really confused right now." She was seated on the steps in front of the shower with her face in her hands. Karen rushed over to her and sat down as well, pulling her into a hug.

"Do you want to tell me?"

"I want to tell you, but I don't want you to get mad at me."

"I promise I won't." She pulled Grace's face up to meet hers and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I just don't like to see you sad." Grace took a deep breath.

"I don't like the way that everything has turned out for all of us. It is so hard for me not to live in this apartment and to have to see you and Will together. I want to be happy that we're all getting on with our lives, but I'm so stuck in the past. I was so much happier back then."

"Oh, honey." Karen pulled her back into a hug and allowed her to cry into her shoulder. "I know that it's hard, but you have so much going for you. You're with Nathan and your career is picking up. I've never heard the phone at work ring as much as it does now."

"But I want a family, Kare." She harshly admitted, pulling away from her source of comfort.

"So why don't you have a family?"

"I can't. I went to the doctor yesterday and she told me that I can't have a baby." Her tears began to flow once again. Karen's eyes widened and she finally understood the dilemma that was running through her best friend's mind. She felt tears fall from her eyes as well while Grace continued to speak. "I haven't told Nathan yet because I know how badly he wants to be a father. What am I going to do?" She cried harder than before, but pushed Karen away when she tried to comfort her again. She wanted to be alone, to grieve the emptiness in her life all by herself.

"If he loves you then he'll understand, honey. And you can always adopt if it comes to that. There are a lot of options."

"That's easy for you to say. You have Felicity and now you're pregnant again. I'm happy for you Karen, I don't want you to think that I'm not, but it is so hard for me to watch you and Will get ready for a baby when I will never be able to experience that joy."

"Do you believe in God?" Karen asked after another small bout of silence. Grace met her eyes.

"Yes I do."

"Well, did you ever think that God might have another plan for you? I mean, maybe he wants you to make something different of yourself. Things are thrown in everybody's way and its how we deal with them that makes us stronger. Why don't you pray, honey? It might help."

"Would you pray with me?" Karen was taken aback. She had never done it aloud before, but if it would help Grace then she was definitely willing to put any of her insecurities aside. The women began to pray together.

Meanwhile, Will, Jack, and Nathan made their way back over to the dining table. They had heard everything and suddenly wished that they hadn't. Will filled a few glasses with wine and his and Karen's with water before setting the table. The men didn't know where to begin a conversation. Too much was overheard and they were all very uncomfortable. After Will began pouring the pasta that he was making into a large serving bowl, Karen and Grace walked out of the bathroom. Their eyes were puffy and their hands were in an unyielding intertwinement. Karen cleared her voice and broke the tension in the air.

"What's for supper, honey?" She asked as she let go of Grace's hand and walked into the kitchen, hugging him tightly from behind. She placed her head on his back and listened for his heartbeat. They began a small conversation as Nathan stood to meet Grace.

"Let's go home, babe. You look like you need to talk."

"I really do. I have something to tell you."

They went to their own apartment leaving the other three alone for dinner. Jack looked over to Will and Karen, still in their semi-embrace, and softly smiled. Karen broke the embrace and took a bowl over to set it on the table. She took the chair next to Jack and sighed.

"You two heard, right?" They nodded their heads to her question. "Next time, one of you gets to handle her emotional breakdown. That was exhausting."

After a dinner full of light conversation Jack decided that he would go home and get some sleep. He had an audition the next day and he wanted to be ready for it. He left a peck on Karen's lips before he left the two alone in Will's apartment. Will quickly grabbed her around the waist and kissed her hard on the mouth. She was taken aback, but responded.

"I love you."

"Honey, are you alright?" She asked with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"I just saw a whole other side of you with Grace tonight. I didn't think I could love you any more than I already do until then." He hugged her close to him until they heard the ding of the elevator outside the door. They pulled apart and hurried over to look through the peep hole in the door. They took turns watching Marilyn say goodnight to her date. She hugged him and quickly opened the door, hitting Will and Karen in the head with it on accident.

"Were you two spying on me?" she asked with her hands on her hips. "I would have expected better."

"We just heard something and wanted to see what it was." Will covered as he rubbed the spot on his forehead where the door had hit him.

"Well, I'm going to bed, then." She walked towards the bedroom, but turned around to address Karen before she entered the room. "Thank you for everything, Karen. He asked to see me again tomorrow night."


	26. Chapter 26

She kissed him as her orgasm overtook her body, causing her to shudder beneath him. Her five month pregnant stomach hindered the closeness that they had once had, but the pleasure was enough to make up for it all. He came inside of her and continued his pace, their sweaty bodies moving together in a brilliant rhythm.

He pulled out and flopped down onto his back next to her, not wanting to lie on the baby. They listened to each other gasp for air and he reached out to take her hand in his. They had innocently been watching a film on her television just moments before he had attacked her mouth with his and clothes began to fly. That was how it always seemed to work with them. In a moment they could want each other without reserve. But something was nagging at the back of Karen's mind that she couldn't ignore.

"Honey, what's one thing you love about me?" She asked as she rolled over to hold him close. Her question felt random, but nevertheless he answered her.

"I love your smile. I love the way that you can light up a room just by smiling."

"What do you hate about me?"

"I don't like the way that you sometimes forget to believe in yourself." He kissed her forehead and decided to go along with her little game. "What's one thing that you love about me?"

"I love the feeling of you in between my legs." She daringly replied, hoping to boost his ego a little. She knew exactly what she was doing. She wanted him to tell her what he had had on his mind. Sometimes she felt as if she was talking to a brick wall.

"What do you hate about me?"

"I hate the fact that I can read your face without knowing what's on your mind."

"What are you talking about?" She sat up to look into his eyes, the sheets falling from her bare chest in her haste to move.

"You're hiding something from me, honey. Ever since your mom moved out you've been keeping some kind of secret. Why won't you tell me?" He sat up as well and tried to kiss her, but she pulled back. "Will, tell me."

"You have nothing to worry about, sweetie. I promise."

"Maybe not, but I can't stand the fact that you're keeping something from me. I tell you everything, honey, and I just want the same from you."

"Okay, listen, I have a surprise for you and you're going to regret spoiling it after you find out."

"Damn it, Will, I don't care." She sighed, a look of desperation in her eyes. He stood from the bed and walked over to grab his pants from the floor. She watched as his naked body returned to her bed before she looked into his eyes. He smiled before taking her left hand a sliding a ring on her finger. She gasped and felt a rush of delight envelope her heart.

"I was going to ask if you wanted to marry me. I was just trying to find the best way to do it."

"Oh, honey, of course I will." She leaned forward and hugged him, her breasts pressing against his chest. She pulled back and kissed his lips tenderly. "I'm so sorry I messed it up."

"I told you that you would be." She reached down in between them and grabbed him in her hand. He gasped at the surprise and his eyes widened.

"Let's stop with the 'I told you so.' I want you to make love to me again."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Oh, Karebear, that is amazing." Jack said as he saw the image of Karen's baby on the ultrasound screen. He had agreed to go to her appointment with her since Will had a business lunch that was about two hours away.

"I know, honey. Look at its hands." She pointed to the screen and smiled.

"Mrs. Walker, would you like to know the gender of your baby?"

"Yeah, Kare, let's find out what it is. Then we can pick out names." Jack excitedly jumped up and down and clapped his hands.

"I don't know. Do you think that Will would be upset?" The couple had never talked about it so she had reached a minor setback. "Okay, you know what, I want to know."

"You're having a little boy."

----------

Jack and Karen excitedly rushed out of the doctor's office, giggling as she quickly dialed Will's cell phone number. He answered on the third ring to hear his fiancé crying and giggling at the same time. He instantly became curious and waited for her explanation.

"We're having a little boy, Will." She shrieked into the phone as the people passing by her gawked and sped up their pace.

"We are? Oh, Karen, that's wonderful! I can't wait to get home!"

"I can't wait either, honey. Please hurry."

They finished a conversation and said their goodbyes while Jack walked Karen to their favorite Chinese restaurant. He held her hand and they made happy conversation together. It was when they spotted Felicity that their tête-à-tête ceased. She was seated with her boyfriend in the restaurant. Karen had yet to be introduced to him and she was very excited to finally see what he looked like.

"He's cute, Kare. She's got good taste."

"He is. We should go and meet him." They walked through the doors and she waved at her daughter from across the room, whose eyes widened in surprise. "Hi, honey, who's this?"

"Oh, umm, this is John." The man stood and shook her hand. He was tall and very polite. "John, this is my mom." His eyes widened.

"You're Karen Walker? You're worth like millions of dollars."

"I know, honey. And you're John, the guy who filled my daughter's cubicle with roses."

"Okay, Mom, it's time to go." Felicity said as she stood to kiss her mother's cheek. She began feeling a little embarrassed at the recollection of her boyfriend's romantic gesture. "What are you here for anyway?"

"Jackie and I were coming to celebrate."

"Everything was okay at the doctor's?"

"Everything's fine and he told us that it's a boy."

"Oh my gosh!" The young woman jumped and hugged her mother excitedly. Jack joined in the hug and giggled girlishly.

Karen invited John over to dinner that evening before Felicity rushed her out of the restaurant. She and Jack hurried back to the apartment with the takeout that they had bought and sat in front of the television with a baby name book while they ate. Her feet were on his lap as he took his turn to thumb through the book.

"What do you think about Jonathon?"

"No, Will's uncle is named Jonathon. I want something that not too many people have, honey."

"Okay." He flipped through a few more pages before he found another name. "You could name him Fred."

"What the hell kind of book are you looking at? It's not the nineteen forties, Jack."

"Well why don't you just name him after your dad or something?" Karen's heart stopped and she took a deep breath. She had never thought about that option and she suddenly felt sad. "What's wrong, Kare? Are you okay?"

"It's nothing really, honey. It's just that, my dad had a seizure and died when I was seven." His face took a look of shock. He quickly leaned forward and embraced her.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean anything by it."

"I know, honey, its okay. I mean, I've had like thirty four years to get over it." She took another bite of her noodles and sighed. "His name was Joshua. I'll see what Will thinks about it when he comes home tonight."


	27. Chapter 27

John arrived at Will's apartment at around six o'clock in the evening. Karen had started out as the cook, but quickly realized that she was not cut out for the job. Will had graciously taken over and agreed to join them for dinner. Felicity was nervous, but hid it well as they all gathered around the dining table. They began to eat and the conversation began to flow more easily.

"So, John, what do you do for a living?" Will asked before he took a bite of salad.

"Right now I'm working at the hospital downtown and I'm going to school to become a pediatrician."

The conversation took interesting turns and the four talked about many different things. Each of them found it exciting in their own way to get to know a new lifestyle and a new person. Plus, they were thrilled that no drama accompanied their dinner. It was difficult to just have an evening without Grace freaking out or Jack bursting through the door to talk about a new boyfriend. All was going very well until a comment was made by John about homosexuality.

"So, Mrs. Walker, you're best friends with that little gay guy that was at the restaurant?" he asked after he had loosened up around them all.

"John, don't go there." Felicity said before she took a sip of her drink.

"No, honey, let him go. I kind of want to see what he was going to say." Karen leaned back in her chair and eyed him suspiciously, waiting for him to reveal how he really felt.

"It's no disrespect, ma'am, but I'm just not a supporter of the whole gay thing. I just wanted to ask a few questions."

"I told you not to go there." Felicity turned an angry gaze to him and he shrugged his shoulders in defeat.

"I'm sure they understand."

"They're both bisexual." He felt heat rise to his cheeks and quickly looked around the table at the expectant and slightly amused eyes that were watching him. Will and Karen burst into laughter at the embarrassment of the young man and Felicity covered her face to hide her own amusement.

"Oh, I get it. It was a joke. You two aren't really bisexual, right?" he began to laugh as well, but was cut off by his girlfriend.

"Yes they are. And thank you for making this evening sufficiently awkward."

John spent the remainder of dinner trying to make up for his comment. A couple of hours passed before Felicity walked him to the door and said goodbye, never allowing her mother to see her kiss him. It was when the door slammed shut that Karen could see her daughter's anger.

"What's wrong?"

"It could be the fact that your sexuality scares the hell out of everyone."

"Honey, you're the one who told him. I was just going to let him keep talking."

"Look, I'm sorry." She ran her hands through her hair and sighed. "I want to break up with him and I need help. He is so boring."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So you've slept with a woman? I would like to hear about that." Will said as he pulled Karen close to him. She giggled and placed her hand on his bare chest, watching the moonlight glisten off of her engagement ring.

"It was really half-assed. I didn't have much money and I needed to borrow my roommate's skirt. I had just met a really high profile man and I wanted him to ask me out so I wanted a better outfit. She said that I could borrow it if I would have sex with her. So I did."

"You had sex for a skirt?"

"Hey don't judge me." she joked as she began running her hand over his chest. "I'll have sex for a lot of things."

"So you've given head to a woman, but you've never given it to me?" she cringed and looked up into his face.

"No, honey, she did the mouth thing, I just used my fingers." She kissed his neck and took in his scent. "Do you want me to put my mouth on you?" she whispered, sending shivers up and down his spine. He didn't respond to her question and she continued to kiss and lick his neck. She ran a hand through his hair and down his cheek while she moved to straddle him. She couldn't directly lie on top of him because of her stomach so she just sighed and sat up on his thighs. "Maybe when you least expect it, honey." She whispered and he noted that her tone had changed drastically.

"Karen, you don't have to if you don't want to. I was just joking."

"I know, honey, its fine." She reached forward and placed her hand on his cheek. His hand found its place on top of hers and she timidly smiled at him, almost sadly.

She hated the phrase 'giving head.' It made her feel like it was something that was completely unthinkable and only certain kinds of women did it. She hadn't actually done it in years because Stan didn't like it. He was old-fashioned in that sense and thought that oral sex was degrading in some way. If she were forced to think back to the last time that she had been asked to do it, it was with her second husband, Felicity's father. He always said that it was her duty as a wife and that he expected it from her. She shuddered at the remembrance of a former life and sighed heavily.

"Are you worried about something?"

"Yes." She simply replied.

"Do you want to tell me?"

"I want to ask you a question. Where do you see us five years from now?" she asked, voicing a question that he wasn't sure that he knew the answer to. She was searching for something from his mind and he knew that her line of questioning was how she found a deeper answer than his words would provide. She could seem so strange sometimes.

"I see us together, in my apartment. With Jack and Grace living here I don't think that we could ever move. We would have already gotten married by then and Grace's old room would be the baby's room."

"Do you miss having sex with men?"

"When we first got together I thought I did, but being with you is so much better. You're gentle and soft. And I love you more than anything. Plus, I don't think I could go a whole day without looking into your eyes." He placed his hands on her thighs and rolled them over so that she was lying next to him. He leaned forward and kissed her lips as he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear with his hand. "What are you trying to find out?"

"Whether or not you're going to leave me and take our son with you. I want to know if a few years down the road you'll decide that you want someone better than me. I can be a serious bitch, Will, and it's easy to get sick of me. I need to know if you are in this for life."

"What do you think this ring means?" he asked as he held up her left hand. "I want you forever and I will never hurt you." She sighed and tears began to glisten in the corners of her eyes. Her second husband said the same thing to her on their wedding day. It was always a lie.

"I've heard that before, honey. Everybody that I've ever been with has said the same thing to me and I always end up alone. But this time I have a child to think about and I can't afford to not do it right." He watched her tears fall and he began to cry as well, knowing that her regrets had caught her at a weak moment. She regretted a lot of things in her life and sometimes they snuck up on her when they were least expected. He pulled her close and wrapped her in an embrace, her body feeling small and delicate.

"You couldn't get rid of me if you tried. I know that it sounds really cliché, but I honestly don't think that I could live without you."

The room was silent and they were both left with their thoughts. He felt her tears cease and knew that she was trying to bring her mind back to reality and her present situation. She kissed his chest, where her face was resting, and pulled him closer.

"Honey, could I stay the whole night with you?" He smiled at the fact that she had finally asked the question; the question that he had been waiting for months to hear. The two had only woken up in each other's arms once and it had been the night that she had asked for a divorce. She always made sure that she was alone when it was time to sleep, and he was honored that she wanted him to just be there with her, to hold her.

"You can stay forever."


	28. Chapter 28

Sleeping over at each other's apartments became more of a routine as the weeks flew by. Six months into her pregnancy and Karen was finally allowing herself to give every part of her soul to Will. He gladly accepted and rushed to spend every waking moment with her. Grace had also been spending a lot of time with her. It was as if ever since they had bonded over prayer they wanted to become closer.

"Karen, I need your help." Grace asked one day when she and Karen were watching television in her apartment. It was rare that Karen was visiting her home and it was a thrill to have her as a guest. But she also needed to have a discussion about something that she could never even attempt to talk to Will or Jack about. She couldn't even bring it up to her husband.

"What is it, honey?" She pulled her legs up on the couch in front of her and cocked her head to the side.

"It's kind of embarrassing so I need you to promise that you won't tell anyone."

"I promise. Just tell me."

"I can't come." Karen looked at her with a confused expression.

"You can't come to what?"

"No, I mean I can't _come._" She stressed the word, but Karen didn't grasp the statement. She rolled her eyes.

"Damn it, Grace, if you're trying to play games…"

"I can't have an orgasm." Karen's eyes widened and she almost choked.

"What the hell am I supposed to do about that? Talk to your husband." She cringed and curled up closer to herself.

"I can't talk to him about it; he'll think that it's his fault."

"Okay, I'm going to try to help you with this, but you can't ever ask me to do this again." Grace shook her head in response and put on her listening face. Karen sighed before continuing. "Now, what exactly is the problem, honey?"

"Well, we get going and I'm really into it for a second, but then something happens and I just can't have an orgasm. It's like I don't even care anymore."

"Is he doing anything different?"

"That's just it. He is doing everything right. I just…well who has an orgasm every time?" Karen didn't answer and shyly took a sip of her water. Grace awaited her response, but sighed when she received none. "Do you have one every time?"

"Grace, this isn't about me."

"You do. How good is it?"

"I thought that we were talking about you, honey."

"Please." Karen wasn't sure why she wanted to know, or why she would care, but it was getting to be oddly entertaining to talk about her sex life. She rarely had anyone to talk about sex with in a serious way and she couldn't help feeling like a teenager at the moment.

"I have one every time and, most of the time, it happens more than once."

"Holy shit, I've never had more than one. How do you do it?"

"I don't know, honey, we just…go. We are really right together. Maybe you should try to be on top or something."

"I've tried everything."

"Talk to Nathan about it. He might feel it too." She patted Grace's knee and slowly stood from the couch. "I have to go, but I'll keep thinking about it. Jack wants to take me shopping. But, honey, keep me posted on your situation."

----------

"I can't believe she told you that." Will said as he and Karen were eating dinner that evening. They rarely ever went out on dates and it was exciting to finally do something of the sort.

"I don't even know why she told me, honey. I guess it was because I'm a woman. I just don't think that I've ever talked about sex like that before."

"There's a known way that you've never talked about sex? This should be a breaking news story." He joked while taking a sip of his water. She stuck her tongue out at him before taking a bite of her food.

"You're lucky I love you or you'd be in trouble."

Once the main course of their meal was through the conversation began to slow down. The restaurant became emptier and Karen's mind began to work devilishly. She bit her lower lip and gave Will a wink before she slipped her foot out of her high heel and placed it in his lap. He gasped in surprise and gave her a disapproving look.

"Are you crazy?"

"Yeah I'm crazy. Shouldn't you know that by now, honey?" Her foot began to slowly move back and forth and he reached down to grab her ankle. She smiled at his uneasiness and waited for him to reprimand her.

"You can't be serious. Are you that horny that you can't wait until we get home?" He whispered across the table to his preoccupied fiancée. She took her napkin from her lap and sat it on the table as she scooted her chair back a little. She looked around to make sure that nobody was looking before she lifted the long table cloth and ducked under the table. "Damn it, Karen, stop playing around." Will mumbled.

Her hands were fast at work on his belt and he soon felt her lift his hips to ease his pants down far enough for her to reach her desired destination. She opened the flap on his boxers and took him in her hand, causing him to jump. She began to rub him and kiss his lower stomach until he became hard in her hand and in one swift motion she took him in her mouth, all the way down to the base of his erection.

He gasped and bit his lip in order to keep himself quiet. The last thing he needed was to draw attention while he was in a weakened state. She licked all the way around him and brought her mouth all the way back up to his tip, leaving a rough little kiss before taking him fully in her mouth again. He felt himself hit the back of her throat before she started to suck, hard. Her hands massaged his thighs as her mouth worked faster, up and down.

She had a sort of magic touch that made him want to call out in ecstasy, scream her name, see her face as she brought him closer to climax. One of her hands made its way behind his balls and rubbed the sensitive area of skin. He quickly reached his hand down to her face and placed it on her cheek, feeling her jaw muscles flexing and working to pleasure him. In one final motion he came into her mouth, feeling an explosion rupture from within his body.

She swallowed and continued to suck until he felt himself coming down from his high. She slowly released him from her mouth and took a deep breath before tucking him back into his boxers and pulling up his pants. She fastened his belt and crawled back into her chair, smiling to onlookers who had happened to be passing by the table. After placing her napkin back on her lap she smiled to Will and began to speak.

"So, honey, what do you think about mint green for the nursery?"


	29. Chapter 29

Grace had burst through Karen's door seeming more distraught than ever. She was sitting on her kitchen counter eating through a jar of cocktail olives and turned to Grace with a confused look on her face. She had explained that she was still having the same problems with Nathan, but they had seemed to multiply and he was noticing as well. She once again needed help.

Felicity walked into her apartment after work to see her mother in an intense lip lock with Grace. She scrunched her face and cringed while she hung her purse up on a hook and closed the door. The two women never paid her any attention, they only renewed the kiss.

"What are you doing?" Her only response was Karen's forefinger in the air, just a second. She pulled her tongue out of Grace's mouth and bit her bottom lip as she pulled away.

"And that's about all it takes to make it happen, honey." Karen said to Grace as she wiped her smeared lipstick, seemingly unfazed by the mini-make-out session.

"Mom, what's going on? Nobody wants to come home to see that."

"Grace is having a little problem and I was helping her with it."

"What kind of a problem is there that you need to be all over each other?"

"Well, nosey, if you must know I was helping by teaching her how I turn myself on at the same time that I turn Will on. She's in a bit of a pickle." She turned back to face her friend while her daughter scoffed and walked over to the refrigerator for a bottle of water. She rolled her eyes as Karen gave Grace advice that only she would ever be daring enough to try, including a story about a blowjob in a restaurant. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. "Honey, could you get that please?"

Felicity sat her water on the counter and sighed. The knocking on the door persisted as she turned the handle and came face to face with the uninvited guest. He was very much an uninvited guest and it caused her to gasp in surprise.

"Dad?"

Karen's heart stopped when she heard her daughter's gasp and turned to see the man in the doorway. She felt as if she were getting ready to vomit when Felicity motioned for him to walk forward and she grabbed Grace's hand and held it tightly. Grace looked at her in confusion, but squeezed her hand back in a form of comfort while she awaited an explanation for her friend's sudden fear. The man finally spoke up.

"Felicity, I have been searching the far corners of the globe for you and I finally find out that you're here. Why the hell would you just run away without telling me? And worst of all, why would you move this far away from home?"

"I ran away because I had to find mom."

His eyes darted up from his daughter and met Karen's in a chilling motion. Her breath hitched and got caught in her throat, but she hid it well and held her head high. His jaw tightened in anger and he swiftly walked over to yell at her, standing too close.

"You couldn't stay away from her could you? You disgust me, you know that. She was fine and happy with me and all of a sudden you pop back into the picture. I should have known that you would look to ruin my life like this. It's revenge, right? Revenge because you were always a piece of shit and you couldn't handle moving on with your life!"

"How conceited can you be?" She angrily responded to the man who was yelling in her face. "She wanted to meet me. She came here to find out where she came from. Nothing in this situation is about you; it's about my daughter…"

"She's _my_ daughter! You were just the whore who couldn't keep her birth control straight! By the looks of it you still have that problem!" He motioned to her enlarged stomach.

"Okay, you need to cool down." Grace said as she stepped in between the two feuding parents. "Maybe you should come back when you aren't so angry."

"Who are you, her lesbian lover?"

"Fuck you! What if I am?" Grace began before Karen pulled her away from the man. She hugged her by pressing her cheek against her face and whispered into her ear.

"Honey, please get Will over here. I'm scared." She pulled back and looked into her eyes, worry shinning in the back of her expression. Grace nodded and quickly made her way over to Will's apartment. "Matt, I really don't have anything to say to you."

"Then say goodbye to Felicity because she's coming home with me." He walked over to her kitchen and opened the refrigerator.

"Like hell she is! You can't make her leave if she doesn't want to go!" He slammed the refrigerator door and got right back in her face.

"She wants to go!"

"That isn't for you to decide!"

"Mom, Dad, stop!" Felicity screamed over the voices of her parents. They turned their heads to look at her and she walked forward. "Why is it that you two have to yell? I'm eighteen years old and I will live wherever I fucking please! I'm not a child anymore." As if he didn't even hear her, Matt continued yelling at Karen.

"Look how she talks now! Have you just been sitting on your fat ass and letting her run wild?" Will rushed through the door, knowing very well that Karen had a very heated past with her second husband. He walked toward her and stood behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders as she finished her statement.

"I think you should just leave." Will stared at the man; his eyes squinted in attempt to intimidate.

"Dad, please. I'll give you my cell phone number and we can all go to dinner tomorrow night. That is, if we can talk without screaming."

"That's fine, but you're coming with me."

"No I'm not. I live here with Mom and I'm not going anywhere." She handed him a slip of paper with her cell phone number on it before she opened the door and waited for him to leave. He kept his mouth closed and quickly walked out the door, knowing that it was time to stop. After the door closed behind him Karen sighed and felt her body deflate against Will's body.

"Sweetie, are you alright?" Will asked as he pulled her close from behind.

"I'm fine, honey."

"But Grace said…"

"Well, she was wrong. I'm fine." She snapped as she released herself from Will's grip and walked over to her daughter. "Honey, are _you_ okay?"

"I'm just angry. I can't believe that he came in here and started yelling at you like that." She moved to sit on the couch and let out a deep breath. "But I think we can all talk it out tomorrow at dinner."

"I'm not going, honey."

"Why not?" She took a seat next to her daughter and took her hand.

"Because, I can't look at him without wanting to kill him."

"But he's changed. All of that stuff that you went through with him is in the past. I've lived with him my whole life and he's never laid a finger on me. Please, Mom, do it for me just once." She pleaded, looking deep into her mother's eyes. She was silently begging for a chance, a small favor.

"I'll think about it." She whispered after a small bout of silence. She kissed her daughter's cheek and walked around the couch to take Will's hand before she led him to her room and closed the door.

They didn't speak as she undressed and put on a pair of pajamas that Will had gotten her the past Christmas. She walked over to him and kissed him softly on the lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close as she broke the kiss and hugged him to her.

"Kare, are you going to be alright?"

"Just don't ever leave me alone with him and everything will be perfect." He stripped down to only his boxers before they lay down in bed together and he pulled her to him tightly. She buried her face in his neck and wrapped her arm around his waist.

"You told me before that the reason for your divorce was because you fought a lot." He put a finger beneath her chin and lifted her hazel eyes to meet his. "He used to hit you didn't he?"

The question was asked in a whisper, but the words were louder than anything that she had ever heard. She kissed him quickly and slid her leg in between his in a form of comfort. She knew that the day would come that she would have to voice her regrets to Will, but she was hoping for later rather than sooner. She gave a small, fragile smile before she began to tell him the truth.

"Please just don't leave me alone with him."


	30. Chapter 30

Karen awoke feeling safe in Will's strong embrace. She looked up and took in the features of his face. She loved to observe and memorize every part of his face while he was sleeping. It was Saturday and she knew that sleeping in was a luxury for him so she didn't wake him. She stayed perfectly still in his arms and reminisced about their relationship. She thought about their past, their future, loving the fact that she had never been more excited to get married.

After an hour of peaceful thinking the baby began to aggressively kick. Will jerked awake at the sudden pressure up against his own stomach and looked down in his arms to see the love of his life staring at him. She smiled and he leaned down to capture her lips in a warm kiss.

"Are you staring at me again?" he smiled as he ran his hand down the side of her body and left it to rest on her hip.

"Of course I am, honey." She smiled wider and giggled a bit as he moved to kiss her neck. She move his face and captured his lips with hers, running her tongue over them. He pulled away and reached down her body to slide his hands under her pants and underwear line, pushing them both down her legs and tossing them onto the floor. "What are you doing?" She asked as he kissed her hip and made his way up her stomach, sliding her shirt up along with him.

He pulled her up into a sitting position and removed the shirt completely from her body. She continued to look at him in slight confusion. He had never been one to rush into sex first thing in the morning and she was curious as to what was on his mind.

"What do you mean by what am I doing?" He asked as he continued his work and moved down to kiss the tops of her breasts and she sighed in satisfaction as he laid her on her back. "I'm making love to you."

He stripped his boxers off of his body and placed himself in between her legs. She only wished for a moment that her stomach wasn't swollen with baby weight so she could feel the utmost closeness of their bodies as they became one. He held himself up on his elbows and pushed into her, hearing her sigh. He pecked her lips as she wrapped her legs around him and they began to move.

----------

Karen lay in Will's arms later in the morning after they had made love. He was holding her from behind with his hand over her stomach, their legs intertwined. She smiled when he kissed her neck and took a deep breath.

"Honey, is something wrong?"

"Why do you ask?" She turned her head until she could see his face, rolling onto her back next to him.

"You were so…I don't know…passionate. Is there something that you're not telling me?" He caressed her cheek and kissed her softly on the lips before giving an explanation for his tenderness only an hour before.

"I guess that I just wanted to give your day a good start. You're going to have to deal with stuff tonight at dinner and I just wanted you to wake up relaxed." She gave a smirk and giggled.

"That's sweet, honey, but I'm going to be fine." She kissed his lips one last time before she unwrapped herself from his embrace and stood from the bed, still completely naked. She put her glasses on and moved to get some clothes. He watched her walk over to her dresser and slip into a pair of panties before searching for a bra.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Not if it's too real." She replied honestly as she clasped her bra and adjusted the straps to her liking.

"Well, it may be too real for you, but I'm going to ask anyways." He sighed and she turned around to face him, her hands on her hips. "How bad was it?"

"How bad was what, honey?" She bent down and began making her side of the bed, busying herself.

"How badly did he hurt you?" She slowed her motions as she thought back to the worst part of her life. She licked her lips and kept her eyes from him.

"Very." She whispered. He leaned forward and placed his hand over hers.

"Did he put you in the hospital or anything?"

"Will!" She pulled her hand out of his and met his eyes. "How indelicate are you trying to be? Maybe I don't want to talk about it and maybe it's none of your business." She put one of his shirts on that she had found in her laundry and sighed, calming herself. He hastily stood from the bed and moved to stand in front of her.

"Karen, I think it is my business. He just popped back into your life and I need to know how dangerous he is. I'm the man in your life and I need to protect you and your daughter. I need to protect our unborn child."

"He only let me go to the hospital the time that he broke my nose." She admitted after a moment of thought. She looked up into his eyes and shrugged, never letting the pain of her past break through the brick wall she had built. "As long as you don't leave us alone together then he won't do anything. At least, that's how it used to work."

"I won't let him touch you."

"Come to dinner with us tonight, please, honey." She leaned up and kissed him after he nodded. She smiled into his mouth and pulled away. "I like talking to you when you're naked." She ran her hands down his bare back and rested them on his buttocks. It was her way of ending the conversation and he accepted it. "It makes me want to agree with everything you say."


	31. Chapter 31

Will, Karen, and Felicity arrived at the restaurant promptly at seven o'clock. They had reserved a table in the back part of the building, knowing that an argument was unavoidable. Karen was sandwiched in between her fiancé and her daughter as they awaited the arrival of the fourth member of their party. He finally arrived five minutes later and took his seat, immediately locking his angry eyes with Karen's.

"I have a few questions that I need answered. And the only way I can get the complete and honest truth is if you are both here." Felicity spoke sternly and maturely, taking the attention of her parents. Karen grabbed Will's hand under the table and he squeezed it in support. "My first question is, Dad, why didn't you tell me that she wanted me? Why did you tell me that she left because she didn't love me? You took me away from her."

"Is that what she told you?" He scoffed, shifting in his chair before addressing the inquiry. "Felicity, everything that I have ever told you is true. She left because she couldn't handle being a mother. She was horrible at it."

Karen's mouth stayed in a firm line as she listened to the lies that he told their daughter. She didn't speak. She let him continue on his rant, his use of too many words to get a simple point across. She gave him a deadly glare and watched as he grappled for excuses, patiently awaiting her turn to speak.

"You used to hit her, Dad."

"That's preposterous." He turned to Karen and finally addressed her, sending chills up her spine. "You don't ever quite do you, you lying bitch."

"I told her the truth." She whispered, feeling oddly intimidated by the tone in which he spoke. She remembered it from the past and felt afraid even though she knew that she was safe.

"You told her the truth? Did you tell her that you cheated on me?"

"I never cheated on you. Stop making things up." She defended, forgetting the old her. Karen Popeil had been painted over and Karen Walker was taking her turn in the argument. She wanted to show him that he couldn't intimidate her anymore. She didn't belong to him.

"You never cheated on me, but what about Stan?" Her eyes widened and her breathing became heavier. How dare he bring up Stan? And how did he even know about that? Had he been watching her, finding information?

"Dad, this is exactly why nobody can ever talk to you." Felicity saved the group from an embarrassing outburst in a public place. "You just attacked her for no reason."

"I have plenty of reasons to yell at her. She abandoned us."

"I don't believe you anymore." She whispered, finally trying to stick up for herself. "I've lived with Mom for almost a year and I know more about her then I learned about you in eighteen years. She doesn't lie to me, or hide things from me, and she loves me. She lets me be myself and until I found her I didn't even know who that was."

Matt looked at his daughter, hearing her for the first time since her birth. She had a serious look on her face and he knew that she meant every word that she said to him. Then he looked at Karen, the only woman he had ever been able to hate. She was nasty, bitter, and rude to him. She couldn't be trusted and she was the worst person in his world. He took a deep breath and began to speak.

"I'm sorry, Felicity." He put an apologetic look on his face and reached for her hand. "I haven't been the best father over the years and I understand why you wanted to find her. But you can't just shut me out of your life. I care for you and it kills me to not know what's going on with you."

"I'll keep in touch, Dad, but I'm not going back to Chicago with you. I need my mother." He nodded as if he comprehended and stood from his seat. He kissed the top of her head and smiled.

"I'm leaving in the morning. Promise me that you'll call me once in a while."

"I promise." He nodded, angrily noting to himself that she didn't stand to hug him or even to say goodbye properly. He turned to Karen who had stayed quietly by Will's side.

"Karen, could I talk to you alone?"

"No!" Will stood from his chair, a feeling of panic taking possession of his mind. There was no way that he was letting Karen out of his sight. Matt rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Fine then, Karen, could I talk to you outside on the sidewalk where there are people everywhere?" She thought for a moment and stood. She began to walk towards the door, but Will stopped her.

"Kare, maybe you shouldn't."

"Honey, I'll be fine if you watch from the door." She whispered so that only he could hear her.

Karen made her way out of the restaurant with Matt only a few steps behind her. Will watched as they stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and stared at one another. Felicity walked over to Will and rested her head on his shoulder, watching the scene just as he was.

"I can't believe you." Karen said as Matt looked down on her. People rushed past them on the sidewalk, but they were left ignored in the murmur of everyday life. "Why the hell would you fill her head with lies like that?"

"You're the one who is filling her head with things that aren't any of her business. She's stuck living with the worst influence on the planet. You were never cut out to be a mother."

"Stop insulting me and think about the real issue here. She wanted to know the truth so I told her."

"That's what I did too. I told her all that she needed to know."

"You could have told her that I died or something, but it kills someone to think that their mother doesn't love them. She went through sixteen years of her life thinking that I had just walked out on her."

"You ran away from us. I caught you that night when you were putting all of those things into your car. You were going to leave us."

"No, I was going to leave _you_. She was coming with me." Anger flashed through his eyes and she knew that he still had the mindset that he used to. If they were alone then he would have hit her by then, but she was confident that she was safe with the crowd of people around them. He wouldn't touch her and she was going to use that advantage to say everything that she had kept bottled up throughout the years. "I hated you then and I hate you even more now. Every time I saw you I wanted to kill you. And you know what I found out? If I were that same woman now that I was then, I would have already fulfilled that dream."

"You've always had an attitude. It looks like that fiancé of yours needs to put you in your place." She squinted her eyes and glared at him with hatred.

"You're a sick fuck." He came at her fast, but stopped himself before he could do anything rash. She stood her ground, his infuriated face only inches away from hers. "Do you want to hit me, Matt? Go ahead and do it."

"You think you have the upper hand here don't you? You think that just because we're in public that I'm afraid to cut you down to size."

"I know you won't. You're a coward."

"You tried to run away. You're the coward."

"That was almost twenty years ago. You still haven't gotten over the fact that I made something of my life and it had nothing to do with you. You can't move on. So, Matt, you're the coward." She spoke the last sentence close to his face. She was trying her hardest to intimidate him and hoped that it was working. His hands twitched and he clinched his fists in order to control himself.

"She'll figure you out. She'll find out just how empty and worthless you are."

"No, honey, it looks like that's what happened between her and _you_." He slapped her hard across the face, the force causing her to fall to the pavement beneath her feet. She squealed in pain as his hand made swift contact with her face. Her ears were ringing and her hip began to throb as she sat on the sidewalk with her face in her hands. She heard the gasps of the people passing by and the footsteps of Matt as he walked away.

Will and Felicity rushed from the restaurant and made it to her side in no time flat. He quickly pulled her hand from her face to examine the damage that had been done, but she pushed him away. She didn't want her daughter to see the tears that were burning in her eyes. Will helped her up off of the ground and hugged her to his chest; her still covered face was buried in his neck. An older woman hurried to Felicity's side to make sure that everything was going to be okay. They nodded her off and waved down a cab.

Karen wiped her eyes and stepped away from Will. She held her head high, as if nothing at all had happened, and stepped into the cab. Will and Felicity followed and they were soon on their way home. Silence filled the car, uncomfortable silence that seemed to radiate from all of them. The cabbie looked back to them to begin a conversation, but suddenly stopped, noting that they were definitely not in the mood to talk. Karen's hands were over her stomach, reassuring herself that her quick fall didn't harm her baby.

"I'm so sorry, Mom." Felicity turned her head and cried. Karen faced her and quickly reached over Will to calm her daughter's tears, taking her in her arms. "If it weren't for me insisting that you go tonight…"

"Honey, it's not your fault. I promise." And with that statement the painful situation was left behind. Matthew Popiel returned to Chicago alone. Will and Karen, of course, talked about the situation in the warmth and comfort of his bed. She only hoped that she would never have to analyze what had happened, as unrealistic as the whole situation sounded. She decided that she should behave like the Christian that she was becoming and forgive him. After all, life wasn't meant to be full of hatred or regrets. It was time to move on.


	32. Chapter 32

Grace never asked Karen why there was a bruise on her cheek. Will had explained it to both Grace and Jack and made them promise not to bring it up. Another whole month had quickly flown by and life continued. Jack had taken Karen to her seven month check up. He hadn't been to her last appointment with her and was very excited that she asked him to go. She had been so preoccupied with Will and Felicity and the baby that they hadn't gone out as friends in a while.

Everything went well at the doctor's office and Jack had decided that they needed to have some fun together. He took her to their Chinese restaurant for a quick bite to eat before they took a cab over to Central Park. They used to go to the park all the time before Karen became involved with Will. They would stay there all day and talk about things that would never be spoken of once they returned home. It was like a secret place for their personal conversations to live, like her bed with Will. She could say almost anything there.

"I've missed you, Karebear." Jack admitted as they lay on a blanket and looked at the clouds.

"I've missed you too, honey." She grabbed his hand and held it in hers. "Maybe we should start going out to lunch again like we used to."

"That would be so much fun, except I'm sick of Chinese food. I don't know how you're not." She giggled and he sat up on his elbow to look down into her face. "What's going to happen when the baby is born? Are you going to move in with Will?"

"I don't know, honey." She shrugged and smiled softly. "We haven't really talked about it yet."

"But you've only got two months left."

"I know that. I'm just kind of scared to ask him what he thinks." She looked into his baby blue eyes and smiled at the innocence of his face. "I guess it's kind of foolish, though. I mean, we are getting married."

"Can I be your maid of honor?" His question elicited a heartfelt laugh from Karen and she patted his face with her hand. He smiled as well before deeply staring into her hazel eyes. He leaned down and brushed his lips across hers in a way that he had never kissed her before. She accepted the kiss, confused, and allowed him to tap her tongue with his. After pulling away he sighed.

"Poodle, what was that for?" She asked in a half-whisper. The sun shone down on them and the breeze moved her hair, blowing a strand over her face. He pushed the strand of hair from her face and shrugged.

"I just wanted to see what he feels when he kisses you." She didn't press further and allowed his answer to hang in the air, getting blown around like their hair and the corners of the blanket that they were laying on. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, but can I ask you a question first?" He nodded so she continued. "Well, honey, you probably can't be my maid of honor, but will you be my baby's godfather? Grace is the godmother and I don't really like Nathan."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am." She leaned up and kissed his lips. "I love you and I trust you." He smiled before standing and helping her off of the ground. He hugged her and bent down to pick up their blanket.

"I would love to be your baby's godfather, Kare."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Oh, Will." She whimpered as he continued to shove into her, causing her body to move forward with his force. She was on her hands and knees, his body pressed behind her, his lips on her back. It was a new position for them and it sent new shockwaves throughout their bodies. Her head fell forward and she bit her bottom lip as he sped up his pace.

He ran his hands over her hips as he sat up and plowed deeper into her center. He knew that she was close and he wanted to make her orgasm hit as hard as it could in their current position. Just as he felt her walls beginning to tighten around him he reached around to the front of her body and rubbed her with his fingers. He heard a sharp intake of breath and knew that she loved every moment of it. They both reached their orgasms in unison, panting and riding through the pleasure.

Will pulled himself out of Karen and they both fell to his bed, breathless. She rolled onto her side and kissed him hungrily on the lips, desperately needing the warmth of his mouth on hers. He ran his tongue over her lips and his hands over her breasts as they came down from their high. He trailed the kiss down her cheek and to her neck, biting and sucking as he did so.

"I love you." He said into her neck as their breathing returned to normal. He sighed and rested his head on her shoulder.

"Then ask me to move in with you." The remark was blurted out of nowhere and his head shot up and he looked into her eyes. She shrugged and felt shy all of a sudden at her abrupt statement. "Well, have you thought about it?"

"Actually, I've been thinking about it a lot. You can't get mad at me when I tell you this, but I was thinking that maybe we could buy a house together instead of my apartment. What do you think?" She felt speechless. She had never owned a house before; she didn't count the penthouse because everything belonged to Stan, it wasn't her choice.

"But you love your apartment."

"I love you more." He kissed her lips and smiled. "Plus, with the baby coming and all we won't have room for half of your closet."

"Let's do it then, honey." She quickly replied. "And no it's not just for the bigger closet. Oh, we could see if Grace will decorate it. And then we could get new furniture and…" Her brainstorm was cutoff by a long kiss to her lips.

"I'll go and get the listings that I copied down."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Will and Karen spent weeks checking listings and a whole Friday with their realtor searching for the perfect house to raise their baby in. They were tired and their feet hurt by the time that they looked at the fifth house. Their conversations turned from ones of loving excitement to angry bickering and they almost said no to viewing the last house on their list. However, when their realtor opened the front door all of their anger disappeared.

"Honey, this is beautiful." Karen said as she walked further into the house. It had the perfect amount of space for them and the baby and it had a guest room for Felicity until she got on her feet. The atmosphere was warm without the feeling of suffocation and the couple immediately fell in love with it.

"We'll take it." They said in unison, all the while smiling. They signed the papers that evening before going out to dinner to celebrate.


	33. Chapter 33

They had been filling boxes and loading them into a moving van for an hour when Grace walked in. Will and Jack were loading things into the van and quickly made their way past her, barely saying a greeting. She walked back into Will's bedroom and found Karen folding his clothes.

"What are you doing, Kare?" She walked over to the bed and sat down, taking a few shirts and helping her fold.

"Oh, honey, I'm so glad you're here. Will is driving me crazy. He won't let me do anything." She folded the corners of the box and labeled it with a marker before sliding it off of the bed onto the floor.

"Throwing it like that's going to ruin your folding."

"I would have lifted it, but Will says that I'm not allowed. He's treating me like a child." She capped the marker and threw it onto the bed. Grace laughed at her and received a glare. Karen tried to hold the glare, but failed and a smile made its way to the corners of her mouth. "What are you doing here, honey? Did you come to help?" She began folding pants and filling another box.

"Actually I wanted to let you know that I finally had an orgasm." She spoke in a nonchalant manner, much too casual to be speaking of such a thing. Karen smiled wider and giggled at the fact that her friend was so open about her 'problem.'

"Congratulations honey."

"And I also wanted to thank you for the help."

"Well, it's not every day that I get to make out with a girl. I wouldn't pass up on that opportunity." The conversation faded with small giggles and silence overtook them. Grace grabbed Karen's hand after she put a pair of pants in a box, causing her to look at the redhead in confusion. She only smiled and met her hazel eyes.

"I know you don't like people to touch your stomach, but can I?"

"Yeah." Her response almost came in a whisper as she thought about the fact that Grace would probably never be able to experience pregnancy. She didn't pity her, by any means, but she did feel empathy. She lifted the bottom of her shirt up until the bump was completely visible, the fabric sliding on her tight flesh. Grace reached out with both hands and ran them over her stomach, feeling the warmth of motherhood.

"It's so beautiful." She pressed her cheek to Karen's enlarged belly and the baby kicked at the odd pressure. Will was about to walk through his bedroom door when he saw the two women, obviously engaged in a tender moment, and he decided to stand back and observe.

He knew that Grace had had a very hard time accepting the changes that their lives were taking on, but he saw a new change in her as well. She and Karen had become closer than they were before and it warmed his heart to see how tight their circle of friendship and love had become. It felt almost as if they were just a family, an extremely close-knit group that would never be broken.

"Will, stop staring at us. If you want to come in, do it." Karen said softly without even looking up from Grace, who was still hugging close to her stomach. He obeyed and walked over to the women, putting an arm around the love of his life and running his hand thorugh Grace's hair. Somehow he knew that that was the way that life was supposed to be, safe and full. He was so in love.


	34. Chapter 34

"Here's your mail, honey." Karen said as she walked through the door of Will's apartment. It was virtually empty from all of the moving that they had been doing and she shivered at the coldness of the place. She kissed his lips before sitting down next to him, placing his mail in his hand.

"Thanks." He leafed through his remaining bills, but stopped when he reached a letter. "Why would my mom send me a letter?" He asked as he opened the envelope and pulled out a beautiful white invitation. "Holy, shit. She's getting married."

"What?" She moved closer to him so she could read as well. It seemed that Will's mother was marrying the man that Karen had set her up with only months before. She began to giggle in excitement and reached for the phone to call Marilyn, but Will grabbed her wrist to stop her. "Honey, I was going to call and congratulate her. Aren't you happy?" The look on his face seemed to say it all. He wasn't exactly happy about the marriage.

"I can't believe she's getting married so soon after her divorce. How could she do that to Dad?"

"Will, he was cheating on her. Don't you think it's her turn to find someone?"

"It just seems so weird, wrong even."

"At least she's doing it the right way, you know, waiting until the divorce was final." She moved behind him and began rubbing his shoulders, relieving some of his tension. He took a deep breath and tilted his head forward as she leaned down and kissed his neck from behind.

"I'm sorry for getting testy, sweetie. I'm a little tense."

"I know, honey, it's alright." Her hands made their way over his shoulders and she began to unbutton his shirt, still kissing his neck, when Jack burst through the door.

"You two will not believe the day that I've had." He walked over to the refrigerator and continued his rambling about a cute guy he met. Neither of the lovers listened, Karen stopped her motion and laid her head on his shoulder. Jack finished his story and finally looked their way. "Oh, did I interrupt something?"

"No, Jack, we just like to sit here like this without any reason." Will's sarcasm and slight anger was lost on Jack, but Karen heard his tone. She was curious as to why he was so overly stressed when he should've been on cloud nine. He had been so fine towards the beginning of the week, but he suddenly became angry.

"Okay, then. I can tell you about what that snotty casting director said to me this morning at that open casting call downtown…"

After almost constant speaking from Jack, he finally left the apartment for his own. Will sighed and walked into his bedroom, not even speaking to Karen. He started a bath and got in, wishing the tension away from his body. Karen, however, stayed standing next to the table in the dining room area. She didn't understand what was wrong with him and it drove her crazy, left her wracking her brain for answers. Finally she gave up and walked into his bedroom and through the door of his bathroom, finding him in a hot bath with music playing.

"Honey, are you alright?" No answer was received and she sat on the side of the tub, hoping to get closer to him and a response. "If this is about your mom getting married…"

"It's not about that, Karen." His voice was testy and it hurt her feelings in an odd way. Normally things didn't hurt her feelings, but the tone he used was so cold. She stood from the side of the tub and lifted her shirt off over her head before taking off her pants. He watched her strip all of her clothes from her body and slowly step into his bath, sitting in front of him and intertwining their legs. "What are you doing?"

"I'm taking a bath with you. I figured maybe we could fuck around and then you'll tell me what's going on with you." Her voice seemed cold, as his had sounded only moments before. She locked her eyes with his as she slowly slid her foot in between his legs. When her foot reached its destination she heard him sigh, but he quickly reached down and grabbed her ankle, maybe too roughly. "Ouch."

"Karen, I'm scared." His confession made her heart feel heavy. She had never heard a man admit that he was afraid of anything and it made her oddly nervous. "I don't know how to be a father, or a provider, or a husband. I don't want to ruin this. I'm afraid that if we move out of our apartments and into that house, you'll have the baby, and we'll grow apart. Look at my parents, look at…"

"My past marriages?"

"You know I don't mean it like that."

"Will, I love you. And if you think that I'm going to leave you or cheat on you then we won't work. I trust you with so much, honey, and if you don't have trust in me then there will always be something holding us back." He sighed, feeling ashamed for feeling the way that he did. She wanted to cry, for the first time in a long time a man had gotten through to her heart and left a small bruise over her love for him. "Do you want to break up with me, Will?"

"No, I want to be with you forever." He slid her closer to him, their legs wrapping around each other as far as her pregnant belly would allow. "I don't want to lose you and I don't want to disappoint you." She kissed his lips and placed her hands on each side of his face.

"Please don't worry. I've never felt like this before, honey." Tears began to fill her eyes and they soon flooded over, sliding gracefully down her cheeks. His heart melted. "You don't know how much you mean to me. I mean, I think it's so stupid when people talk to each other like this, but with you I can't help it. I love you so much. Please, just, stop being so upset, honey."

"Oh, Karen." He embraced her fragile body, running his hands up and down her soft back. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." She quickly pulled back and looked into his soft brown eyes that had turned darker at the first instance of pain.

"You are a wonderful man and you are going to make a wonderful father. I know that you're scared right now, but you shouldn't worry because you're not going to end up alone. I won't let that happen." He softly smiled at her recollection of his biggest fear in the world. She was the one for him and he knew that he was the one for her, but he wasn't sure what would happen in the future. He wasn't sure if he had what it takes to be the head of a family. He was terrified, but he vowed to Karen, and to himself, that he would never hurt her; he loved her so much more than words could possibly describe.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Grace had just stroked the last of her paint on the wall of the living room in Karen and Will's new home, she was finally finished. Her designs were warm and loving and it was so exciting, to Grace, to be able to bring that into the home. She also felt honored that they had trusted her with the design process.

"Oh, Gracie, it's so beautiful." Karen walked into the room and her eyes lit up. She hugged her friend and held her hand as she was shown the two rooms that she had yet to see. In her opinion it was perfect.

"I'm so glad you like it. Look, I even put a mini-bar in the corner." She pointed to a small island counter and released her hand.

"Oh, honey, you know me so well." The women giggled as Will and Jack walked into the house and gasped, having a similar reaction to Karen's. Karen walked over and kissed her fiancé on the lips before walking him over to the bar. "Look, Will, it's a bar."

"Pace yourself, Kare, you still have a month left." He ran his hand over her eight month pregnant stomach and smiled to her. The tender moment was soon broken by Felicity running down the stairs.

"Mom, Will, I have a surprise for you. Come upstairs." She giddily jumped and motioned for them to follow her. They all responded to her request and began walking up the circular stairs to the second floor, Karen moving a lot slower than the others. "Okay, cover your eyes." Will and Karen both did as they were told and stepped into the room, with Felicity guiding them. "Okay, now you can look."

"Oh, honey." The room was painted in a mint green color with a wooden floor. The moldings were done in a darker green that accented the walls perfectly. The young woman watched as her mother and her future stepfather looked around the room in awe and amazement. "Did you do this?"

"Yeah, I did." Felicity was enveloped in a sweet embrace by her mother and future stepfather.

"I love it so much. Honey, you have talent." She walked over to the wooden crib and touched the side of it, caressing the smoothness of the furniture. It was then that she spotted a rocking chair by the large window that was overlooking the backyard. She walked over to the chair and sat down, running her hands over the arms. "Thank you."


	35. Chapter 35

Karen was sitting in the rocking chair in the nursery, looking out the window and drinking a glass of water. The city was so beautiful when it was admired from a small distance. She thought about her life, her past and her future, and smiled. She had rarely been dealt a fair hand, but she was completely happy. Most people would scoff and think she was lying if she told them that she was happy, full of life and loving every moment that she was a part of the earth, but she was all of those things. She was in love and she was ready for new challenges.

"What are you doing, sweetie?" Will walked into the room smiling. He had put all of his fears aside and embraced the new feeling of life that he had been given. He too seemed to contribute to the peace and solitude that enveloped their new home.

"I'm just watching the sunset. Do you want to sit with me, honey?"

"No offense, but I'm not sure that we could both fit in that chair." She scoffed and playfully glared at him.

"You're lucky I love you." He smiled and helped her up from the chair before stepping behind her and hugging her close to his chest. They continued to watch the sunset together, in each other's arms, and in love.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

His hands were running all down the front of her body, caressing her breasts and moving down to their connection. Her back was pressed to his chest and she could feel the racing of his heart as it rushed to pump blood through his veins as his pace quickened. She hugged him to her with her hand on the back of his neck as he leaned forward to kiss her cheek, quickly finding her lips in a passionate kiss.

Her sigh was lost in the depths of his mouth as she slightly arched her back. She felt the warmth in her stomach spreading and knew that she was getting closer to her second release. He sensed how close she was and reached down to rub her. She gasped and let her orgasm caress her entire body; her soul.

She placed her hand on his lower back and helped guide him to an orgasm of his own as she began to come down from her dizzying height. His breath was loud in her ear and she shivered once again at the sensation that he sent through her body. Their movements slowed and finally stopped and he kissed her lips once more, running his tongue over hers. He finally pulled out of her and took a deep breath before kissing her shoulders.

"You're so beautiful." He whispered softly into her ear as his hands ran over her stomach. She smiled at the sincere compliment and settled further into him, taking in the warmth and comfort of his body.

She turned her head and found his lips once again in a passionate kiss. He hugged her closer to him, her back still pressed to his chest, as his hand made a trail up from her hip to her breasts. Suddenly they both stopped their movements, she gasped completely shocked. "Karen, what's that?"

"Oh my gosh." She panicked as she tried to sit up in their bed. "Oh, honey, my water just broke." He felt his stomach drop and quickly helped her into a seated position. She began to cry as he found her clothes and sat them next to her on the bed. "Will, it's too early. This can't be good."

"Get dressed. We have to get to the hospital." He pulled his pants on and ran from the room to wake Felicity. Her shaking hands clasped her bra and adjusted it before she put a sweatshirt on over her head and felt her first contraction rush through her stomach. She bit her lip as the only slight pain disappeared before she stood from the bed to finish dressing. Will was back in the room quickly and put his shirt on. "Are you okay, sweetie?"

"No." She stepped into a pair of flats and made her way to the door. Will followed behind and helped her down the stairs. Felicity ran down the stairs with her purse and they all loaded into the new car that Karen had bought Will for his birthday. Karen began dialing on her cell phone and told Jack to get Grace and hurry to the hospital. She was having a baby.


	36. Chapter 36

"Honey, is it too soon? I have a little less than a month left. What if something's wrong?" Karen panicked while she lay in a hospital bed. Felicity was sitting next to her, brushing her mother's hair, and Will was in a chair next to the bed.

"Kare, the doctor said that you and the baby are fine. Stop worrying."

"Where're Jack and Grace. I need Jack." She tapped her foot around at the foot of the bed. Will rolled his eyes and stopped her movement with his hand.

"You need to settle down." Jack rushed through the door and ran over to his best friend. He pushed Will out of the way and pulled her into a hug.

"Are you okay, Karebear? You sounded so weird on the phone. Is everything alright? How's the baby? It's too soon." Karen bitch slapped him across the face, effectively silencing his rant. "Thank you, I needed that."

"We're fine, Poodle, I'm just in labor. Where's Grace?"

"She was moving too slowly for me so I just left her." As if on cue Grace walked through the door of the hospital room. "What took you so long Grace?"

"You left me." She walked over and pecked Karen's lips. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, honey."

The hours passed by very slowly. Karen's contractions were getting closer together, but she wasn't dilating very quickly at all. Felicity and Grace had gone down to the cafeteria to get some food for everyone. Karen had dozed off and Jack and Will were both watching her, enjoying the sweetness of her face.

"So, did she talk to you about names?"

"We haven't decided on anything. We thought that we'd have at least another month." Will said, nervous yet excited about the birth of his son.

"Well, did she say anything about her dad's name?"

"What are you talking about?" His confusion was evident and Jack decided to explain his question.

"Karen and I got some baby name books a few months ago and she hated everything in them. I suggested that she name the baby after her dad and she told me that he had died when she was seven. She got really weird about it, but I think she was interested in the name."

"What was her dad's name? I don't think she's ever told me."

"Joshua."

Will thought in silence about the name of his baby boy. He wasn't sure if Karen even wanted to name him after her father, but he felt the need to discuss it with her. He liked the name and the way she had occasionally talked about her father showed what respect that she had had for him. The meaning behind the name was deeper than the name itself and he would agree with Karen if she wanted to use it.

----------

At four o'clock in the morning Karen finally gave birth to a baby boy of six pounds and nine ounces. Everybody was in the room with her; she was too scared to let them leave, and they witnessed the blessing of a new life. She cried when the first sounds of her baby were heard over the heart monitor and she knew that her life would never be the same.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Karen had just finished bathing her two and a half month old son, Joshua, and was getting ready to lay him down to sleep for the evening. She kissed his soft head and held him close to her chest while singing a lullaby, tenderly calming him into sleep. She put him in his crib and turned on the monitor before walking out of the room.

She walked to her bedroom next door and lit a few candles on the night tables. It had been months since she and Will had made love and she finally felt that her body was ready for it again. He had been working late and she took that opportunity to fill their bedroom with a romantic vibe before he returned home.

She opened up a bottle of wine and poured it into two glasses before she walked into their large closet and changed into a dress that she knew that he remembered. It was the dress that she had worn on the night that they first made love, or rather had casual sex in her limo, and she kept it in her closet for a special occasion like the present. She had done her hair and makeup earlier when Joshua was sitting in his bouncy seat so all that she had left to do was wait for her fiancé to return home. She sat down on the bed and picked up her glass of wine, taking a slow sip and letting the liquid caress her throat with ease.

Two hours and countless glasses of wine later Karen still hadn't heard from Will. She was drunk for the first time in a long while and felt extremely angry. He should have called if he was going to be so late. But what if he was hurt? No, he was just being insensitive. Her thoughts were turning grim when the phone next to her bed rang.

"Hello?"


	37. Chapter 37

Tears ran down her cheeks as she hurried to Felicity's room to wake her, the swaying fabric of her dress sliding against her bare skin. She was very intoxicated and knew that driving in her condition would be a huge mistake. She shook her daughter and loudly said her name until she woke up.

"Mom, what the hell is wrong with you? I can smell the alcohol on you." The young woman sat up from her bed and wiped her eyes before looking into her mother's. "Are you crying?"

"I need you to drive me to the hospital. Will was in a car accident." She was shaking and fear was etched all over her face.

"Oh my gosh. Is he alright?" She rushed out of bed and put a pair of shoes on.

"I don't know, honey, they wouldn't tell me over the phone." Her hands were over her face and she was seemingly glued to her position by the bed. Felicity slipped her coat on and threw her hair into a ponytail before placing her hands on her mother's shoulders. It wasn't often that she was forced to be the strong woman in a situation, but she had learned from the best.

"Listen, you need to stop crying and go throw on a pair of jeans or something. I'll get Joshua ready and we'll meet you in the car, okay?" She shook her head, wordlessly agreeing, and they both rushed to do their necessary tasks.

----------

Jack and Grace were seated in the waiting room when Karen burst through the doors of the elevator, holding her baby tightly in her arms. Felicity had dropped her off at the front doors and was parking the car. She rushed over to her best friends and greeted each of them with a kiss.

"Karebear, what's going on? You sounded so crazy on the phone. Is he okay?" Jack was the first to speak in his worry for Will.

"I don't know, honey, but I'm about to find out. Here. His bottles are in the bag." She handed her son to Jack, set the bag by his feet, and swiftly walked over to the desk, her flip-flops clicking against her feet as she did so. She looked at the night nurse and cleared her voice, waiting for her attention. "Excuse me, my fiancé was in a car accident and I need to know where he is."

"What's the name?"

"Will Truman."

She heard her child's cry in the background of her foggy mind and turned to make sure that Jack and Grace were taking care of him. They were indeed and she allowed her mind to wander back to Will. She couldn't believe that she had actually been angry with him for not calling when he was busy being thrown in the line of fire. What would she do if he wasn't alright? Could life really be so cruel?

"He's in room 512." Before the woman could say another word Karen found herself hazily rushing down the hall, not even caring whether or not she was allowed in the room. She threw the door open and hurried over to Will's side. He was seated on the edge of a bed with a small bandage on his forehead, unharmed.

"Honey, what happened?" She kissed his lips and looked into his eyes for an answer.

"Oh, some jerk rear-ended me at a stoplight a few blocks from the office and I hit my head. I'm so pissed, it broke my taillight." She looked at him, exasperated.

"I thought you were dead and all you're worried about it the taillight of you car?"

"Sweetie, your mind must have been running like crazy." He sniffed and gave her a look of judgment. "It probably doesn't help that you're wasted right now."

"You son of a bitch, I can't believe you. If you were fine then you could have called me yourself. You know the hospital doesn't give out information over the phone. I had no idea what was going on."

"Stop yelling at me, I have a headache." He ran his hand over his eyes and grimaced at the shrillness of her voice. She shook her head and her eyes fell to the floor, tears once again begging to fall.

"I'll be in the waiting room, honey. Come and get me when you're ready to go home." She turned her back to him and walked from the room. He didn't object, knowing that she was angry with him and that her fear had turned her mind inside out and left her frustrated.

She explained what happened to Jack and Grace before taking a seat next to them on a small couch, taking her son in her arms. She cuddled the baby to her chest and kissed the top of his head in a maternal motion while Felicity finally made her appearance. After a deep breath Karen spoke to her friends.

"You should go home, kids. I'm sorry I dragged you over here for a bump on the head." Her voice sounded embarrassed, almost weak.

"Karen, you have nothing to be sorry about." Grace put an arm around her and found her eyes. "It's okay to be scared sometimes."

"No, I jumped to conclusions. He's fine and you should go and get some sleep. You have that meeting tomorrow."

Grace nodded and kissed her cheek before standing up to leave. Jack stood up as well, not wanting to have to go home alone, and said his goodbyes. Karen's thoughts were cascading all around in her head. She wondered when she had become the worrier of their relationship. She was always the selfish one, the one who needed to be worried about; the alcoholic. She sighed at the shift that her life had taken, another reminiscence of everything that she had been through.

She buckled Joshua into his car seat and scooted over to fasten her own seatbelt in the back of the car. Will sat in the passenger seat and looked over to his future stepdaughter as she started the engine of the vehicle. They traveled a few blocks in silence until Will looked to find Karen passed out against the window. He scoffed and began to speak.

"I can't believe she started drinking again. I hope it's just a phase."

"I think she had something planned for you. She was in a really pretty dress and she was lighting candles when I told her goodnight. She probably got carried away when you didn't call." He noticed a slight edge to her voice and turned to look at her. Her expression was cool, similar to Karen's when she was feeling something, and he shivered at the similarity.

"So you're mad at me too?"

"No." Her response was simple at first, but she always seemed to have more of an explanation when she spoke. "She isn't mad at you either. She's mad at herself for caring so much. I think she hates the fact that she cares about you, me, and Joshua more than herself. It's all in her head."

He furrowed his brow in thought and looked out the windshield of the car at the lights of the city passing them by. He had to admit that he should have called to let her know that he was alright, but he didn't think that it was that big of a deal. He didn't know that her thoughts could be so dark. He turned and looked at her, still passed out, and smiled at how much her love for her family showed in her everyday life. She would die for him and him for her, but he wasn't sure that he told her that enough. Without them making love it was sometimes difficult to actually speak about their feelings. Their bed was their safe place and it always had been.

They pulled up to the house and the engine was turned off. He asked Felicity if she wouldn't mind taking Joshua to his bed and turning the monitor on whilst he took care of Karen. She nodded and carried her little brother into the house, a blanket over his small form. Will cracked Karen's door and held her up with his hand until he could embrace her, fully opening the door. She jolted awake squinted her eyes.

"We're home, sweetie, let's go to bed." He whispered in a cooing voice. She nodded and unbuckled her seatbelt before she checked for her son. "Felicity took him." He took her hand and began to lead her from the car, closing the door. However, she stopped walking before the reached the house, the warm breeze caressing her face.

"Um, honey, I'm really sorry for how I acted. I was just worried." He walked over to her and took both of her hands in his.

"I know you were and I'm sorry too, Kare. I know I should have called and I just wasn't thinking at the time. I was just pissed off about my car." She nodded and leaned up on her toes to press her lips upon his in a tender kiss.

"Do you want to make love?" She knew that she wasn't the only one suffering in their wait for her to heal from childbirth and it was only fair for her to somehow compensate, even though she didn't much feel like it. He gave her a soft smile.

"I think we'd both rather talk tonight."


	38. Chapter 38

"So, Mom, is there anything in your past that you would like to tell me before I tell you what I discovered today?" Felicity walked over to the couch and sat next to her mother who had just laid the baby down for a nap.

"Oh, honey, please don't go pulling things out of the past. I don't like it when you do that." Karen sighed and dropped her head to the back of the couch.

"Well, if you're not going to say anything then I will." She smiled and grabbed Karen's hand, causing her to meet her eyes. "You know how I've been dating Lance for a while? Well, I was showing him some pictures of our family and all that and he picks up a picture of you and says 'I know her.' So naturally I ask where he knew you from. Did you know that he works at the video store?" She reached into her purse and pulled out what looked like an old film. It wasn't until Karen noticed her picture on the cover that her mouth fell agape.

"How did you find this?" She snatched the tape from her daughter's hands and began to panic. "Grace bought all of these like two years ago."

"Well, she missed one. But I am wondering, why haven't you told me that you were a movie star?" Karen rolled her eyes and gave an angry look to her daughter's smile.

"Did you watch it?"

"I thought we could watch it together." She stood and pushed the film into the VCR/DVD player that was on top of the television.

"That is disgusting. You don't need to be watching stuff like that, especially with me."

"I may not need to be watching it, but you definitely don't need to be in it. Oh look, the opening credits." She pointed to the screen as the words flooded the picture. They watched in silence, and embarrassment, as a young Karen domineered an older gentleman. It was when the ending credits began to roll that the women's eyes met. "Wow that was…"

"You don't have to say anything, honey." She patted her knee before she stood to pour two glasses of wine. She took one to Felicity and handed it to her. "Anyone who sits through a fetish film that stars her mother deserves a drink." They emptied the glasses and Karen went upstairs to get the baby who had just begun to cry.

Will entered his house after work to find Karen and Felicity laughing and drinking together, telling stories about experiences. The baby was in his swing next to Karen, who hand her hand on it so it wouldn't go too fast. He smiled at the sight of his family in front of him and walked closer to press a kiss to Karen's temple.

"Oh, honey, how was your day?" She smiled and emptied her wine glass. He took it from her hands and sat it on the table.

"It was long. How was your day? Looks like you're trying to get a drunk on with your daughter." Felicity giggled and reached up to place her hand on his forearm.

"Did you know that she was in a fetish film?" Karen's face froze and her eyes quickly met Will's. He patted the young woman's hand and threw his coat over a chair.

"Actually, Grace showed it to me a while ago."

"What?"

"Yeah, she brought it home one night a couple of years ago. Nice work, sweetie." He winked and she felt embarrassed once again. She couldn't believe that he knew for so long and had never said anything about it. The baby began to fuss and she picked him up.

There was a knock on the door and Will walked over to answer it. He opened the door to reveal a short woman who looked as if she were his mother's age. She had a look of determination in her eyes and he was oddly intimidated.

"Will, honey, who is it?" Karen asked as she walked into the entryway, Joshua on her shoulder. Once the woman in the doorway became visible to her, her motion stopped and she gasped.

"Hi Kiki."

Karen's heart dropped and her breathing became heavy with rage. She handed the baby over to Will and stood tall, making up for the fact that she was barefoot and incredibly short. Will backed away and watched the scene unfold before him, noting that Felicity had made her way over to them as well.

"What in the hell are you doing here?" There was evident venom in her voice, but the woman never wavered.

"I heard that you had a baby and I wanted to congratulate you. Is this your husband?"

"I told you to stay away from me, that's why I send you a check every month. I want you to leave."

"You can't throw me out of your life forever. I am your mother."

Felicity's heart jumped in her chest in a sobering fashion. It was the first time that she had ever seen her grandmother; no pictures were ever saved for memory. It hurt her to see her mother push the woman away so quickly without even an explanation for her actions.

"You may have given birth to me, but you were never my mother. I never had one." She began to close the door in her face when Felicity rushed to pull her away, forcefully. She looked into her daughter's eyes, silently begging her to retreat.

"Are you housing fugitives, Karen, or is this the other grandchild that you never let me meet?"

The conversation lasted until the wee hours of morning. Karen and Lois, her mother, fought at first, but eventually they became more civil. Finally, they were able to sit with three generations of women and speak with ease, happiness almost. It felt strange to all of them, but eventually it worked out for the best. Karen invited her mother to stay with them while she was in town for a few nights. She also invited her to her and Will's wedding, which was still in the beginning stages of planning.

When the conversation began to die down, Felicity excused herself to go to bed, leaving Karen and Lois alone. They looked into identical hazel eyes and tried to find the words to speak. With many years behind them of trying to figure out what they would say when the next saw each other, it was too awkward to even begin.

"Kiki, why did you leave?" Karen only scoffed, resituating herself on the couch.

"I had to leave. You had already fucked up my childhood; there was no way you were getting your hands on my entire life."

"You always were dramatic."

"No, mom, I was screaming for help. I grew up way too quickly when Daddy died, pulling scams with you and never fitting in. And then you took me away from my very first love."

"You were sixteen. You had no idea what love was."

"I knew plenty about love at that age. I knew exactly what it wasn't because I never had it from you. The only definition I ever got was from Daddy." Their eyes had been locked and they were speaking with feeling, emotion; something that was very rare for the both of them.

"Is that why you named your son after him?"

"Of course it is. I miss him more than anyone in my life."

"You know, I miss him too, but I've come to terms with that. What I haven't come to terms with is the fact that I let you slip away from me. You have no idea what it's like to go so many years without even knowing if your own daughter is still breathing."

Karen looked down to her lap, cowering at the statement that was made. She knew exactly how it felt to live in the described situation. She knew how hard it was for someone that she cared about so much to be ripped away at a moments notice. Maybe her mother and she had a lot more in common than previously thought. They both knew about loss and regret, and they both knew that it was time to forgive. And with an embrace, that is exactly what they did.


	39. Chapter 39

His hands burned her skin and she sighed into his neck as he rolled over on top of her body. She pushed his boxers down his legs with her feet and ran her hands through his hair, placing kisses along his jaw line. He ran his hands down her semi-flat stomach and placed them on her inner thighs, spreading her legs wider than they already were. In a fluid motion he guided himself into her, both of them sighing at the connection.

Even though she had had two children Will noticed that she felt tighter than ever around him. He kissed her lips and pulled out before pushing back into her body. She wrapped one of her legs around his waist while the other caressed his knee, his outer thigh. As the speed of his thrusting increased he ran a hand down the side of her breast, grazing her nipple with his thumb.

She shivered underneath him as an orgasm instantly, more quickly than ever, exploded within. Her stomach shook up against his and she squeezed his waist between her legs to bring him deeper. After the waves of pleasure had finally finished with her body, Karen rolled Will over onto his back and molded herself to him.

He ran his hands over her bare back as her hips met each of his thrusts in a synchronized rhythm. The covers of the bed had been kicked from their bodies and they were completely exposed to the dark of the night. Sweat ran in beads down the backs of their necks while the pace was increased once again.

She sat up and rode him, her hands tightly gripping his shoulders as she tried to make his orgasm strike him as hard as she knew that hers would. His fingers dug into the flesh of her hips, leaving small crescents behind, and she switched the pace.

He moaned, louder than expected, and she leaned over to silence him with a kiss. She ran her fingernails up and down his chest as she bit his lip. He thrust harder and hit the perfect spot inside of her. Her breath hitched and she felt herself beginning to grow weak under his spell. Their tongues battled and she felt another release take over her body, her mind and soul.

"Oh…" She whimpered into his mouth as the warmth of pleasure spread. His hands were gripping her buttocks in a desperate attempt to pull her deeper onto him as she squeezed him tighter with her thighs.

He finally let go, exploding inside of her and clinging to her for dear life. Their stomachs brushed together and they continued to move to the end of their powerful journey. It was almost magical, like it was their first time together.

He held her around the waist as they came down from their intense high. She kissed his lips and collapsed with a deep sigh, her face in his neck. Ragged breaths were echoing throughout the lovers' bedroom and their chests rose and fell against one another's. She kissed his neck and ran her hands down his chest before resting them on his hips.

"Honey, that was incredible." She whispered while she bit his earlobe. He chuckled softly and found her lips for a gentle kiss. He rolled them over, still maintaining their connection, and pressed her to the bed. She smiled into his kiss and wrapped her arms around his waist in order to pull his stomach closer to hers.

"You're so beautiful, Kare." He leaned his forehead against hers and caressed one of her shoulders with his fingertips. She pecked his lips once more before loosening the grip she had around him with her legs and allowing him to pull out. He rolled off of her to lie on his back, pulling her to lay her head on his shoulder. She took a deep breath and began to speak. She wanted to have a meaningful conversation with him, something deep. It had been so long since they had spoken about their future and she wanted to speak of it once more.

"Will, why do you want to marry me?" He laughed at her words and pulled her chin up to look into her eyes.

"Haven't we already gone over this?" She smiled and looked into his dark brown eyes.

"Tell me again."

"I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you…" She rolled her eyes and interrupted him.

"Okay, stop." She leaned up on her elbow so that she could fully face him and asked another question. "I know all that, honey, but why did you ask me to marry you? I mean, we hadn't even stayed the whole night with each other and you still asked me."

"Well, why did you say yes?" She smiled and shrugged before leaning down and kissing his lips.

"I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Just as her lips inched towards his again a shrill cry was heard from the baby monitor. She sighed and gave him a quick peck before standing from the bed and wrapping her naked body in her robe. She smiled to him before she opened the door and went to calm their son. She felt that it was her turn since Will stayed up with him the night before.

He listened to the softness of her voice over the monitor as she calmed the infant. It was hard for him to believe that she could use such sweetness, but it warmed his heart to think of her with his child. She was such a wonderful mother. It was when he heard her beginning to rock and sing a lullaby that he stood from the bed and stepped into a pair of boxers. He made his way over to the nursery and stood in the doorway, watching the moonlight shine down on Karen and their son. She heard the floor creak and turned her head to the door, her singing stopping instantly. They shared a smile and he made his way over to her.

"Don't stop singing. It's nice." She scoffed and rolled her eyes, shifting the bottle in her hand so that Joshua wouldn't drink air. "Don't give me that look."

"Honey, aren't you nervous?"

"You mean about the wedding?" She nodded and put the baby on her shoulder to burp. "Why would I be?"

"Well, I don't know. It's getting closer and I just don't want you to get cold feet."

"Oh my gosh, Kare, you're nervous."

"I am not." Her response was quick and she knew how fake it sounded to him. She stood from the chair and gently laid the baby back in his crib, calming him with caresses to his back. She sighed before meeting his eyes. "Maybe I am a little bit, honey."

"You've done this before. What is there to be nervous about?" He walked over and wrapped his arms around her, awaiting her words and hoping that they wouldn't hurt.

"This feels different then the other times and I don't want to mess it all up."

"How the hell would you mess things up?"

"I don't know. I'm a really hard person to like. Are you sure that you want to be with me forever, honey?" He chuckled and leaned forward to place a peck on her lips. She tilted her head and furrowed her brow.

"Do you remember when you said that we understand each other and we work because we're not afraid of hurting each other's feelings? Well I'm not afraid. I have faith in us and I know that we will be just fine. What do you think?" She smiled and placed a hand on his cheek.

"I think you are just too perfect for words, honey."


	40. Chapter 40

"Karebear, that dress is gorgeous. Pick that one." Jack looked at her with big eyes as he examined the wedding dress that she was wearing.

"Yeah, I like it too." Grace agreed as she walked over to Karen with a pair of shoes. "I like the little diamonds around the waist, but why isn't it showing more cleavage?"

"Honey, it's a wedding dress." She giggled at her friend's odd comment and turned around to see the back of the dress in the mirror.

"Who cares? Too much cleavage is like your signature." Jack laughed as he listened to the conversation. He picked up another dress and placed it on the wall of the dressing room, knowing that Karen would love it.

"I don't want anything special, Gracie. I just want to get married." She ran her hands over the fabric and looked at the price tag. "Holy shit; did you see how much this costs? Yeah right."

"Why do you care about the price? You make more in a month than I do in a year." Karen had entered the dressing room and the gown was quickly handed back out to Jack. She looked around and saw a new dress, a simple one that seemed perfect for the occasion. She slipped into it, feeling the soft fabric caress her skin, and she stepped out of the tiny room.

"How about this one, Kids?" When she received no response she stepped up onto the platform and looked into the mirror. She almost gasped at her own reflection for it being so soft and elegant, but so simple. She knew that Will would love to see her in a dress like that. "You picked this one didn't you Poodle?"

"Yeah, do you like it?" She smiled and turned around to face him.

"This is the one."

----------

"Grace, suck in your stomach or I'm never going to get this zipper up." Karen demanded when it was Grace's turn to try on dresses for maid of honor.

"It's in my size, Karen. You're getting the zipper up."

"Honey, I hate to tell you this, but it's not your size anymore. I'll just go and get the next one up." She began to walk away, but Grace stopped her.

"No, this is my size. Try again."

"It's not going to go." She turned the redhead around and tried again. "We could get you a girdle, honey. Maybe you should start saying no to a second serving at dinner."

"I'm pregnant." Karen's head shot up and she met Grace's eyes in the mirror.

"What? But, honey, I thought you couldn't." She was in shock from the confession and walked around to face her friend.

"Well, I went to the doctor before I met you here today and she said that I was two months along." She smiled and began to giggle, unable to hold in her excitement any longer. Karen reached forward and hugged her, sharing in her excitement.

"Oh, honey, I'm so happy for you."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Grace had decided to go home and celebrate her pregnancy with her husband, leaving Karen and Jack alone to shop for Will's ring. They went to all of the fancy shops around Manhattan searching for the perfect wedding ring. They were getting sleepy and Karen was missing her son, who was left with his father, when Jack was struck with an idea.

"Why don't you just do that thing where you design his ring yourself?"

"Can you do that?" He rolled his eyes at her question.

"You know everything about fashion and you don't know that? What's happening to you?" They giggled and continued to look through catalogues and jewelry counters.

"Maybe I should do that, Poodle. Do you think he'd like it?"

"I'm sure that if it comes from you then he will. You have him wrapped around your finger." She only smiled, knowing how right he was.

Karen and Jack walked through the door of her home about two hours after she had decided to design Will's wedding ring. It had taken so long, for Karen being so picky, and Jack decided that he was too exhausted to go all the way to his apartment. So, being the good friend, she invited him to spend the night.

"Will?" She called for him as she made her way through the house. He was nowhere to be found and she became curious. She picked up the phone and dialed his cell phone number, waiting for him to pick up. "Hi, honey, where are you?"

Jack listened to the argument begin and he rolled his eyes. They could never go very long without arguing and in an odd way it was amusing. He walked to the guest room that he had dubbed his room, and put on a pair of pajamas that he had left in the dresser. He heard Karen slam the phone back into its holder and made his way downstairs to see what was going on with Will.

"Is everything okay, Karebear?" He sat down on the couch while she sorted through her mini-bar.

"He got called by a client to work on some important case. He left the baby with his mom and said that he'd pick him up later. How stupid is that? He can't even spend one day with his son. He has been such a dick her lately." She ranted as she finally decided on a glass of wine, her new favorite drink, and she sat next to Jack on the couch. She began to empty the glass, but he pulled it away from her when she had barely gotten a sip. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"First off, you stopped drinking for a reason and I think you should tone it down. And secondly, Will's dad is out with a client all the time. Maybe that's just what you get when you marry a Truman." Her eyes widened and she lost the words that she was going to say. Speechless, she snatched the glass from Jack's hand and emptied the contents of it. After a deep breath she stood from the couch and put her shoes back on. "What are you doing?"

"We're going to his office, honey. Go and get dressed." She grabbed her purse and looked into his eyes, waiting for him to do as she asked.

"Why are we going there? He said that he'd be home later. Besides, I thought we were going to have a girls' night."

"You mean you really don't understand, Poodle?" He shook his head and she sighed, getting impatient. "Honey, Will's dad used to call his mistress his client. Every time we were over at their house and he said 'I have to go and meet my client,' he was really talking about his whore. What if Will has somebody else too?" She gasped at a sudden realization. "Oh, Jackie, what if he's with a man? I knew he'd get tired of me eventually."

"Maybe you should just wait until he gets home before you freak out about all of this. You sound so crazy right now."

"No, I'm not crazy. I just need to make sure that I'm not making a mistake. I mean, what if…"

"Just shut up and think about this."

"Don't tell me to shut up."

"Shut up." They looked at each other for a moment, letting the conversation sink in. He stood from the couch and walked over to hug her. "I'll go get dressed."


	41. Chapter 41

Karen and Jack drove around town for an hour looking for Will's car. He wasn't at his office and he wasn't at any of the restaurants around the area. She finally decided to just go and get her son and go home. When they arrived at Will's mother's house they noticed that his car was in the driveway. He was apparently finished with his client. Karen was furious.

"Oh, Karen. What a surprise." Marilyn leaned towards her for a hug before she was invited into the house, along with Jack.

"Where's Will? Is he here?"

"Yes, dear, he's getting the baby. Are you alright?"

"No. I have to talk to him." Just as she finished her sentence Will walked down the stairs with Joshua on his hip, making noises and smiling to him.

"What are you doing here, sweetie?"

"Don't call me that." Her voice was venomous and he was taken aback. "Where the hell were you tonight?"

"I told you, I was at the office with a client."

"You're a liar." She walked closer to him and pointed a finger in his face. "Who were you with?"

"Karen…" Jack walked forward and took the baby from his arms. He took him to the couch and began to play with him while his parents fought. "I was at the office. Why won't you believe me?"

"Because I went to your office and they said that you hadn't been there all night. So, let me ask you another question. Who are you fucking?"

"You."

"That is not what I mean and you know it."

"I'm not cheating on you. Where would you even get that idea?" She glared at him and clenched her fists.

"A _client_, isn't that what your father used to say?"

"Oh."

"Like father like son, huh?"

"That's ridiculous."

"Prove it." He quickly pulled a small box out of his pocket and roughly grabbed her wrist, slamming the box into her palm. She narrowed her eyes and gave him a questioning look. "What is this, honey?"

"It's my grandmother's wedding ring. I came over here to spend some time with Mom and get it. I figured you'd like it better than the one with the little diamond. After being such a jerk to you here lately, I thought you'd appreciate it. Nice job, babe, you just ruined your second proposal." He walked over to his mother and kissed her cheek before he walked out to his car and drove away.

Karen was left speechless. She couldn't believe that she was one of those women; the kind who had trouble trusting their fiancé. Looking at the situation, she could clearly see how off she was. She lowered her head and took a deep breath, so ashamed of herself. Marilyn walked over to her and put an arm around her shoulders.

"Karen, I know what you were thinking, but he would never do that to you. He's not his father, dear."

"I know." She cleared her voice and gave a fake smile to her future mother-in-law. "I'm sorry for barging in. I'll just go." Marilyn nodded as Karen walked over and put Joshua's little jacket on him, lifting him into her arms. The two friends began to leave, giving Marilyn smiles of thank you. She yelled after them before they walked through the door.

"Jack, don't touch the wall!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

At eleven o' clock at night, Karen pulled into her driveway, after taking her Poodle home. Jack decided that he would go home and leave her to fight with Will because he knew that he didn't want to hear it. She picked her son up out of his car seat and walked through the front door and up the stairs to put him in his crib. After she turned the monitor on and hooked hers to her pants, she quietly closed the door and went on her search for Will. She finally found him at the island counter in the kitchen, eating a bowl of strawberries and drinking wine.

"Will?" He turned his head towards her whisper. She looked fragile, so delicate. "Honey, I'm so sorry."

"You're crazy." He refilled his glass and continued to eat. He didn't speak again and it made her very uncomfortable.

"I know that you're angry with me, honey. And I understand why, but please talk to me." She walked closer to him and sat on the chair next to him. "I don't care what you say. Yell at me."

"Go to bed." His words were cold and she knew that he was more furious than ever. It scared her to think that he was so angry that he couldn't even speak to her. She nodded and began to make her way from the room. His voice stopped her before she walked through the doorway. "Why is it that when I go out and do something then you think that I'm cheating, but when you do it then I should just let it go? Why is it that it's okay for you to feel stressed or nervous, but it's not okay for me to feel it? What is wrong with you?" He sounded harsh to her and she cowered away.

"I didn't…"

"Karen, a while back you told me to trust you, and I do. I trust you with everything. I trust you to always be here for me. You always say that you do, but why can't you trust me? I'm not like the other men in your life. I am not going to hurt you. Why can't you just see that?" A tear fell down her cheek and she hurriedly wiped it away.

"Will, I was just...scared."

"Do you ever listen to yourself when you talk? I was scared too and you talked me out of it. You told me everything that I needed to hear, but you didn't even pay attention." She remembered back to the time that she had invaded his bath and spoken about their future. It was always hard for her to trust people, given her past, but she needed to just live. She needed to move on from all of her fears and be happy with Will because he could be trusted. He loved her. He was the father of her child.

"I'm sorry, honey. Please, don't be so angry with me."

"Would you just get over here and let me fuck you?" Her eyes met his in confusion before he grabbed her around the waist and kissed her hard on the mouth. His tongue penetrated her lips and he forcefully backed her into the counter. He was still angry, she could tell by how rough he was with her, but she let him continue. He pulled her shirt apart in the front, popping buttons off of it and throwing it onto the floor.

She went to pull his shirt off, but he pushed her hands away, pulling it off of himself. He threw the baby monitor on the counter and pushed her pants down, her panties as well. He kissed down her throat, biting her flesh as he pushed his boxers down his legs. He put his hands behind her knees and took her balance from her, causing her to wrap her arms around his neck as he dropped her hard against the floor. She felt the slap of the tile hit her back and it sent a jolt of pain up her spine. She gasped as he roughly spread her legs and pushed into her.

He began moving as soon as he entered her body and it hurt. She wasn't at all ready for him and she wrapped her legs tight around him, hoping to slow him down. He reached behind himself and pulled her ankles apart from each other. Then he spread her legs so wide that her knees were touching the floor. He pressed his chest hard into hers and continued to pound into her center.

"Honey, you're hurting me." She whimpered, somewhere close to tears. Suddenly he stopped moving and looked into her flooded eyes, holding himself up on his elbows so he wasn't crushing her. She sniffled and sighed, thankful that he stopped to give her time to get used to him. He leaned over and kissed her lips, gently, apologetically.

He slowly pulled out of her and pushed back in, calmly. It was as if hurting her had pushed all of his tension away and he suddenly wanted to make up for it. He didn't mean to hurt her, but he seemed to have no control over his body at the time. He just wanted her, right then and there. Her tears were what brought him from his glazed-over state of mind.

She wrapped her legs around him and began to meet his movements, finding pleasure in his soothing rhythm. He kissed down her neck and up to her cheek, kissing the few tears that had fallen before he sucked on her earlobe. She could hear his heavy breathing in her ear and she wrapped her arms around him to bring him closer.

He was getting close to the edge, but could tell that she wasn't at that same point of pleasure yet. While holding himself back he reached down in between them and began to rub her. She bit his shoulder while feeling her orgasm rising within her stomach. He added more pressure as he sped up his pace and she began to shiver beneath him.

He finally let go and climaxed along with her, pushing through until the pleasure had subsided. He pulled his hand off of her and held himself up as he kissed her lips longingly, their tongues lightly tapping. When he finally pulled away he looked into her glossy hazel eyes.

"I'm sorry, Kare. Are you alright?" She sniffled and gave him a harsh look, showing him exactly how she felt. It was her turn to throw his favorite insult back in his face.

"You're fucking crazy."


	42. Chapter 42

Karen was sitting on her couch a few days before the wedding. Jack's head was in her lap and she was running her hands through his hair as their film played. They had finally gotten their girls' night together and they were happy to feel closer again.

"Jackie, we should do this more often." He sat up on the couch and nodded, smiling.

"I think so too. It's hard to find you without Will anymore."

"What do you mean, honey? Don't you like hanging out with me and Will?" She turned to face him while he grabbed her hand.

"I don't want you to get mad at me or anything, but you two fight a lot. It gets really uncomfortable to be around. That's why Nathan never comes to dinner with us when we all go out."

"What? That's absurd." She walked over to get a glass of wine.

"No it isn't. You two get really violent with your words. Don't you ever just talk about things?" She emptied the glass and shrugged.

"Poodle, Will and I have three basic actions. We argue, we have sex, and then we talk about our problems; in that order."

"That sounds great, but what are you going to do when Joshua gets older. It could really screw him up to hear you two yelling all the time." She pondered his statement for a moment. Was he right? She could admit that they did tend to get very vicious when they argued, but that was just who they were.

"Wow, honey. What if I screw up my own kid?" She sat down on the couch and looked forward at an invisible point on the wall. "Oh, shit. I'm my mother."

"No you're not, Karebear. What I meant was maybe you could try to talk to him more instead of yelling when he does something annoying. Your voice carries, you know, and it can be heard for miles." She playfully smacked his arm and smiled.

"Poodle, since when are you so full of wisdom?"

"I always have been. It's just more fun to giggle." He began to tickle her and she squealed in surprise. He always knew how to lighten up a moment.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Mom, can I talk to you?" Felicity walked into Karen and Will's bedroom on the day before the wedding. Karen was sitting on her bed playing with the baby and double checking some of her wedding plans.

"Sure, honey. Is something wrong?" She motioned for the young woman to join her.

"Well, I've been dating Lance for a really long time and I think I'm in love." Karen smiled and her eyes lit up.

"Honey, that's wonderful. He's a really sweet guy."

"I know. It's just that, I don't know if I'm ready to go all the way with him yet. How do I tell him that I'm not ready?"

"Oh. I assumed you two had…" She let her voice trail off, knowing that her daughter got the point.

"No." She sighed and lay down on her stomach to advert her eyes to the baby, playing with his hands. "I just don't want to hurt his feelings. He's not the problem. I just think that it'd be better to wait for a proposal or something."

"You don't have to do it until you're ready." Karen was so proud of her daughter for knowing exactly what she wanted. She was so mature.

"I'm just nervous. What was your first time like?" Their eyes met and Karen shrugged.

"It was pretty embarrassing, even now."

"Did it hurt?"

"Yes, but he didn't care."

"Were you in love?" Karen laughed bitterly at the memory.

"No, honey, I wasn't. He was probably twenty years older than me." Felicity's eyes grew wide and she grabbed her mother's hand. "If I didn't get the grade for the paper then I would've failed the whole course. I wouldn't have been able to come back as a sophomore and I couldn't afford a summer semester."

"A professor?"

"Yes, but my failures shouldn't affect you." She was speaking with sincerity and knew that her daughter didn't even begin to judge her.

"How does someone know when they're ready to have sex?"

"When they stop calling it sex and start calling it making love." She raised her eyebrows and watched her statement take meaning on Felicity's face. She was so glad to have a smart daughter who was nothing like her at that age. She only hoped that her advice would be taken and her mistakes could be learned from.


	43. Chapter 43

Karen was hyperventilating in the bride's room on the day of her wedding. Her shoulder length hair was down in spiral curls and her makeup was flawless. Her dress was altered to fit her perfectly and her accessories were indescribable. Her panic attack had caught her by surprise and she was taken down to her knees on the floor.

She coughed as it continued, unable to get it to subside. She had always had issues with anxiety, but her medication didn't mix with her pregnancy and she had been forced to go without. It didn't bother, or occur to her, until she was in her wedding dress on the floor, gasping for air.

"Karen!" Grace rushed over to her and rubbed her back, unsure of what to do. She was lucky, though, because Lois had been walking with her to Karen's room. She rushed over to her daughter and grabbed her wrists in her hands. She had dealt with Karen's panic attacks throughout her whole childhood so she knew exactly what to do.

"Kiki, listen to me." Her voice was stern and Karen locked her tearful eyes with her mother's. She continued to gasp as Lois put their foreheads together and began to take deep breaths. "Breathe with me." Karen tried, but tears began to fall and she panicked even more. "Damn it, Karen, breathe with me."

They breathed in unison, calming down with each breath. Karen finally filled her lungs and continued to calm down. Grace watched, worried, as she rushed over to get a glass of water. She handed it to Lois who put it to her daughter's lips. Karen took the glass and sipped before bringing her oxygen level back to normal.

"Oh, shit." She leaned back against the chair that was behind her and sighed.

"That one seemed strong." Lois stood from her position on the ground and straightened out her dress. "Your makeup is smeared." She gave her mother a curious look, wondering why that was exactly important at the moment. Lois winked at her and walked out of the room.

"Bitch." Karen growled as she pulled herself from the ground, smoothing out her dress. Grace walked closer and gave her a questioning look.

"Do you need to go to the hospital or something?"

"Honey, I'm fine. I have anxiety issues, but I'm off of my meds right now." She sat down at the vanity and used a tissue to wipe the remnants of her tears from her cheeks.

"Oh." Grace walked over and stood behind her, watching her fix her makeup. She ran her fingers through some of Karen's curls that had gotten flattened during her episode. "Are you panicking because you don't want to marry Will?"

"Why would you even ask that? Of course I want to marry him." She turned around on her stool and looked her maid of honor in the eyes. "Do you not want him to marry me?"

"No, I do. I just wanted to check on you. Why were you freaking out just then?"

"It has nothing to do with that, honey. It's just a weird mental thing." She stood from her seat and grabbed her friend's hands. "I'm not going to hurt him Grace. I promise. Wait, where's the baby? I thought you had him."

"He's with Marilyn."

"Oh."

"I love you, Kare." She gave Grace a semi-confused look.

"Thanks, honey. I love you too." Their smiles were lost in an embrace before they walked out of the room and made their way to the sanctuary.

The ceremony was done by Karen and Felicity's preacher in their small church. It was beautiful and simple, like Karen's dress, and only the important people in their lives were there to celebrate. They concluded the ceremony with a kiss and retreated to their reception, followed by all of their guests.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Karen walked over to look at the view of the river by the building she had chosen for the reception. She heard the laughter from up the hill and smiled at such happiness. Jack was fondling a cater waiter while Grace and Nathan were fighting over something unnecessary. She needed to get some fresh air, though, to reflect. She was so happy. And she was so in love.

"What are you doing out here, sweetie?" Will walked up next to her and they smiled in greeting.

"Oh, I'm just thinking about how happy I am to be Mrs. Truman." She giggled when he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and began kissing her neck. He reached up her body and ran his hands over her breasts, causing her to gasp in surprise. "Honey, what if someone sees?"

"It's legit. We just got married." He turned her around to face him and kissed her hard on the mouth, tasting the champagne on her lips. She sighed as he reached up her dress and pulled her thong down her legs. He leaned her against a tree and pushed one of his fingers into her. It was unexpected and she bit his lip as he continued to ready her for himself. She could feel herself becoming warmer and she reached to unbuckle his pants, sliding them down his legs. He pulled his fingers from her and tried to lay her on her back.

"Honey, I'm in light beige." She pushed him onto his back instead and straddled him, pulling her dress up so it wouldn't get dirty. She reached between them and pulled his boxers down his legs before sitting up enough for him to push into her. She leaned down to capture his lips in a burning kiss as they began to move. Their tongues intertwined and she moaned into his mouth.

She undid his tie and laid it by her panties before she unbuttoned his shirt, wanting to feel his skin beneath her hands. He ran his fingers through her hair and sped up his thrusts. She kissed down his cheek and began sucking and biting his throat. The warm, soft breeze blew against them as he undid the zipper on her dress and she sat up to slide it from her shoulders. He placed his hands on her hips and guided her movements while she held him tight with her thighs. She felt an orgasm slowly building in her stomach and she bent back down to kiss him again.

He ran his hands over her buttocks as she began to shiver, not fully allowing her orgasm to overtake her body so soon. He quickened his pace and she couldn't take it anymore, she gave herself to him completely, convulsing on top of his sweaty body. It was all it took to make him come along with her, holding her as close as he could until the waves of pure ecstasy subsided. She sighed heavily into his ear and he lifted her face to find her lips.

"I love you, honey." Her whisper reached him as they plunged their eyes into one another's.

"I love you too, Kare."

With the moon as their only witness, the lovers consummated their marriage. It was the beginning to many happy years together and many love filled nights. They knew what love was and they knew that it was in fact real.

The End


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